Zombie Tree

“Nature abhors a vacuum.” – Aristotle

Birch, fir, and pine are the other species that might try to colonize this space.  White birch is the most aggressive because it is shade intolerant and always seeks open spaces. Pine and fir trees are slower to colonize new areas. We are deliberately taking actions to promote this beech stand because it illustrates how a tree species can dominate an area. We have cut down some fir trees to make sure that the area is clear between the giant branch that fell and one of its limbs that crushed much of the vegetation is clear. We are hoping that the beech trees will fill the vacuum. Since this stand is characterized by aggressive vegetative propagation through root suckering, the interconnected trees can be considered a single clonal organism, known as a “genet”. Each individual stem, or “ramet”, is genetically identical, sharing the same root system and genetic makeup. A well-known example of a clonal organism is the “Pando” aspen grove in Utah, where thousands of stems are part of a single genet, making it one of the largest and oldest living organisms on Earth.

As the pasture pine rots away, these four species will eventually occupy the space. They are converging in battle with each other. In 50 years, this area will be very different.