Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in rural forests

Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by kaycebasques on Thursday May 09, 2019 @10:49AM (#19868782)

Came here to discuss the same section. It makes sense that urban trees die younger when you think about how heavily the odds are stacked against them:

* No network of fellow of trees to share nutrients and information with via their roots, as mentioned above.

* Dogs constantly pissing on the trunk.

* Smog.

* Planted in a small patch of dirt, surrounded by concrete. The dirt itself is usually extremely compacted so no water gets through to the roots.

* Gardeners and city workers constantly cutting off branches, exposing inner wood to deadly fungi.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by sevensor on Thursday May 09, 2019 @12:09PM (#19869504)

Not to mention people constantly ramming vehicles into them. There's not a tree in my town that doesn't have a big scar on the trunk at bumper level.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by RobotCaleb on Thursday May 09, 2019 @01:48PM (#19870435)

Not a single one?

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by yellowapple on Thursday May 09, 2019 @10:09PM (#19874467)

It's a town tradition to inaugurate a tree's planting by ramming it with a car.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by sevensor on Thursday May 09, 2019 @04:04PM (#19871820)

You got me. I exaggerated. A large number of streetside trees in the downtown area have accident scars on them.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by pkaye on Thursday May 09, 2019 @03:31PM (#19871450)

Not even the one in their backyard.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by BurningFrog on Thursday May 09, 2019 @11:55AM (#19869357)

I thought the piss was nutritious for plants?

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by aaron_oxenrider on Thursday May 09, 2019 @11:59AM (#19869402)

As with many things, the quantity matters. Too much of a good thing is not beneficial. If you over fertilize, it can "burn" the plant. That is why most dog owners will find dead spots in their grass where the dog prefers to pee.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by atulatul on Thursday May 09, 2019 @11:57AM (#19869383)

Not so much on their trunks.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by TrustAndSafety on Thursday May 09, 2019 @01:30PM (#19870257)

the odds are not stacked against them, plants (and other living creatures) do their best to colonize new places. That's why trees have soooo many seeds. Reproduction is the goal, not longevity.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by kaycebasques on Thursday May 09, 2019 @02:48PM (#19871001)

Do you see a lot of urban trees naturally propagating?

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by beat on Thursday May 09, 2019 @02:59PM (#19871121)

Living in an urban forest, ripping up wild young trees is part of normal yard maintenance. I probably get at least a dozen a year. Two of my full-sized trees in my yard were wild seedlings that I allowed to grow because I like those particular kinds of trees (a catalpa and a sumac), and they were in good locations.

This also includes invasive tree species like buckthorn, which is a villain in our area. Buckthorns pop up constantly.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by kaycebasques on Thursday May 09, 2019 @03:06PM (#19871211)

I guess one could view urban tree dynamics as extreme selection for certain traits. They have to be pretty, and in a location that won't inconvenience humans, and they can't do anything to inconvenience humans, like cause allergies, and they have to be extremely resilient.

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Re:Urban trees 'live fast, die young' compared to those in r... by beat on Thursday May 09, 2019 @03:32PM (#19871466)

And around here, they have to be ok if it hits -20F sometimes in the winter.

I have a magnolia, and it completely boggles me that it survives and thrives this far north.

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