How long does a basswood tree live

Remember to remove basal sprouts that are prone to grow off the base of the trunk. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.

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List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Steve Nix. Forestry Expert. In the United Kingdom, it is referred to as the lime tree, and in the Western United States, the tree itself and its wood are referred to as Basswood. To confuse things even more, all wood from linden trees is usually called basswood. Tilia is a perfect example of why botanical names are so important.

Trees in the genus are often used as specimen trees or shade trees that line urban streets. The linden's canopies create deep shade with branches covered in densely bright green leaves with an asymmetrical heart shape.

The real aesthetic draw of these lovely trees is their sweet-smelling white flowers that bloom every spring. The flowers are a matter of controversy, though, as research shows some Tilia spp. It is worth noting that this only affects bumblebees; linden has been used for millennia to create honey, but bumblebees are prime pollinators and not profuse honey makers.

If looking for a wonderfully ornamental shade tree suitable as a specimen or being planted in an allee, the genus Tilia offers several excellent selections readily available in the nursery trade for you to use in your landscape design. For the most part, the Tilia is exceptionally hardy and easy to care for. It will not take a lot of planning other than accounting for the tree's large size and the one caveat that all Tilia owners must consider: it attracts insects that love its sweet delicious sap, and these insects sometimes secrete a sugar-based fluid, excreted by certain plant-sucking insects, called honeydew.

This secretion can cause a mess on your property and be a nuisance and unsightly, and if left on cars, can damage finishes. Other than avoiding that sticky situation, doing some research on what species is right for your area or if there is basswood native to your region might be a good idea. A few might live for years.

Since they stump sprout, we don't know how long an individual lives when defined by genetics, rather than an above ground stem. Probably several centuries. The above ground basswood tree usually dies from buckling of the stem. With the long, bitterly cold winters and low annual perception, I would assume that growth was relatively slow for a fast growing species the growth rings were too inconspicuous to count.

But I agree that basswood, a very soft and light wood, more often hollows. Randy Re: Basswood longevity abi- u. Both T. Niether species is decay-resistant. These giant hulks that are so famous are rotten, resprouting organisms. There is so much rot, regrowth, fusions, etc. This make it more mysterious, more romantic. This in turn leads to exaggeration and mythology. Hopefully some of them are still there. Fall plantings failed to survive. Early failures of hardwoods planted on old-field sites in Ontario have been attributed to the absence of mycorrhizal fungi 30 , insufficient site preparation, and insufficient postplanting weed control 42, Fertilization at the time of planting had little effect on seedling survival or growth Vegetative Reproduction- Basswood sprouts prolifically, and this vegetative regeneration can be managed for sawtimber.

Sprouts commonly originate on the stump at the ground line, and vigorous sprouts occur over a wide range of diameter classes Almost all trees 10 cm 4 in in diameter and smaller will produce sprouts and more than half of sawlog-size trees can be expected to produce stump sprouts However, early thinning of stump sprouts preferably before they reach 5 cm 2 in d.

Clumps should be thinned to not more than two stems; such thinnings will reduce the incidence of stem degrade due to decay, seams, and sweep 23, Because an extensive root system already exists, a basswood sprout has a higher probability of replacing a parent stem than does a sugar maple seedling.

Thus, the ability to produce abundant stump sprouts allows basswood to maintain itself in a stand with the more shade-tolerant maple despite the much larger numbers of sugar maple in the subcanopy Growth and Yield- This species reaches a height of 23 to 40 m 75 to ft with a d. Under favorable conditions, trees sometimes attain a height of 43 m ft and a d. Estimates of maximum longevity generally exceed years.

Basswood grows faster than most other northern hardwood species. On the same site, basswood often exceeds sugar maple and yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis in site index by 1. Diameter growth for basswood averaged 3 mm. The same site under managed conditions produced substantially higher growth rates.

Annual diameter growth average for a crop tree release was 4. Relatively narrow bark ridges and V-shaped fissures, with new light-colored inner bark visible in the fissures, represent a high-vigor basswood. In contrast, low-vigor trees have scaly bark with wide bark ridges and shallow, short fissures, frequently producing a rather smooth surface Two phases can be noted in the renewal of cambial activity for basswood. The first phase is the reactivity of cambium that occurs independently of the initial meristematic activity within the overwintering buds.

The second phase, accelerating cambial activity after bud-break, is presumably under the influence of primary growth Winter stem contraction for basswood often exceeds stem expansion from the previous growing season. The amount of winter shrinkage in basswood stems was greater than that of yellow birch, sugar maple, or hemlock Tsuga canadensis The period of shoot elongation for basswood in northern areas is shorter than that for other hardwoods-only red oak and sugar maple had shorter periods of terminal shoot elongation among seven species studied in northern Wisconsin.

Based on an average of three growing seasons, shoot elongation for basswood began in May and was completed by the first of June Longer periods of shoot elongation have been noted for open-grown basswood in Illinois and basswood plantations in Ontario mid-May to mid-August. Chlorophyll is found in xylem rays and primary xylem of basswood twigs Although the photosynthetic contribution is not large, it may have seasonal significance when leaves are absent.

Rooting Habit- The initial taproot observed in basswood seedlings gives way in saplings to a system of lateral roots 5. This early root development is gradually obscured by the intensive development of oblique roots in the central mass, and surface lateral roots extend out from this mass Adventitious roots have developed on the lower stem of basswood engulfed by dune sand 4.

Reaction to Competition- Although basswood is less shade tolerant than its common associate, sugar maple, vigorous sprouting and rapid sprout growth allow it to persist under the selection system. Overall, American basswood is most accurately classed as tolerant of shade. This great sprouting vigor also helps it compete with the abundant regrowth following clearcutting.