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Preference vs. Tolerance<\/h3>\n
Different trees have different environmental requirements or conditions they prefer, and when they have those conditions, they have\u00a0a competitive advantage. This principle is not to be confused with another concept\u00a0 that\u00a0different trees will tolerate certain environmental conditions better than others, and that tolerance gives them an advantage to\u00a0grow and thrive.<\/p>\n
If you plant a sugar maple and a bald cypress in your yard, generally they will both do fine, grow and produce a beautiful shade tree. If you took a sugar maple and a bald cypress and plant them in a swamp, the bald cypress will thrive, and the sugar maple will most likely wither away. The reason for this is the bald cypress is better designed to grow in the difficult soggy conditions\u00a0of\u00a0a swamp.<\/p>\n
Shade Tolerance vs. Shade Intolerance<\/h3>\n
Some trees behave the same way with light availability. Oak trees are in a group of trees called “shade intolerant” trees, as opposed to trees that are “shade tolerant” such as maple, dogwood, etc.\u00a0 Because of this characteristic, oak trees being shade intolerant, an oak tree must have a lot of sunlight\u00a0to reach the forest canopy from an acorn to a seedling to a sapling, to a big tall tree.<\/p>\n
An oak\u00a0must have enough sunlight at important stages in growth. If\u00a0it\u00a0doesn’t, it will either not grow at all or remain severely stunted until the end of its term.\u00a0 If a small seedling or sapling persists in the shade for many years,\u00a0it seems to establish a habitually poor growth pattern that doesn’t change much.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, oaks and some other species have been designed to stump sprout, which can be a tremendous advantage in gaining a new start when the timing is right. This design abandons the old established stunted growth pattern if the top happens to be damaged by fire, windfall, deer rub, chainsaw or any manner of disturbance, thereby giving the stump sprout a new start. If this happens when new available light is provided, the new stem has the big advantages of more light and an already well established root system.<\/p>\n
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