Climactic Factors And Tree Injury

tagged: ireland forestry, irish forestry

Posted by GuestPoster in The Great Outdoors

There are many different factors that can affect a trees growth, the appearance of the timber, and the health of the tree in general. Many of these factors are caused by the climate. In hot countries the trees may be affected by the sun, drying winds, or reflected heat from roads and buildings. In cold countries, trees can be affected by severe snow, which can break the bows of the tree and cause a decrease in the value of the timber. But I want to specifically talk about Irish forestry and the effects that the climate can have on the trees within it.

One of the initial threats from the climate is when the trees are first planted into the ground. It is at this stage that they are very vulnerable to damage by the weather. If the trees are planted during very cold weather, the young plants can be severely affected by frost. At this young age, the plants can die. Also, when the trees are very young, strong winds not only can severely stunt the growth of young trees, they can prevent the tree from developing at all and eventually kill the tree.

As the tree gradually matures is still going to be susceptible to frost damage and wind damage. Frost can open up cracks within the cambium of the tree and with repeated freezing and thawing cycles over the years the tree will have continuous open wounds. Although the tree can heal these cracks, the wood that is produced as a final crop will be very blemished and more than likely will not be used for timber production. And of course wind can cause a lot of damage to trees in many different ways. It can blow the tree over and a tree that is blown over on to the ground is not worth anything and will usually be left to rot. It can snap branches off from the crown of the tree or even in extreme cases break the stem in two. One of the problems that are associated especially with Southern Ireland forestry on the west coast of Ireland is distortion of the stem because of the strong prevailing winds.