FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Re: Old-growth trees in Memphis

[Beau Peyton <bpeyton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert wrote:

>Hi, Birders. I live in east Memphis, Tennessee, inside the expressway which 
>rings the city. This neighborhood was built in the 1950s, so the pine trees, 
>the oak, and the magnolia in my yard are all probably more than 55 years 
>old.  How old does a tree have to be to be considered "old-growth" ?
>  
>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old growth means much more than the age or the size of a tree,  because 
these qualities vary widely with species. When the term is applied to 
forests, four characteristics are generally present: large live trees, 
distinct layers (herbaceous, understory, canopy), dead trees and what we 
call "interdependent communities," a concise way of saying all of the 
different components of an old-growth forest are dependent on one another.

I would also add a minimal amount of human disturbance, something that 
would almost certainly be the case in forests exhibiting these 
characteristics.

Generally speaking, forests with these characteristics will approach 200 
years or so in age, as is the case with the forest found at Albright 
Grove Loop in the Smokies.

Beau Peyton
Germantown, TN

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