Age-Related Changes in Trees

Abstract

Trees are distinguished from other plants by their large size and long life span. The develop- ment of trees over this life span is not static but on-going, with a wide range of changing physiological characters. As time progresses, these changes can be either readily observed, such as the maturation of juvenile plants, or much less obvious, as in an overall decline in vigor. It is clear however, that the myriad of phenomena associated with development do not occur at ran- dom but are a normal occurence in a tree's live cycle