Tree Age and Diversity
by Eric Peterson
DIVERSITY. MOST OF THE TIME WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DIVERSITY
WE’RE THINKING ABOUT MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES.
BUT DIVERSITY WITHIN A SPECIES’ POPULATION IS JUST AS
IMPORTANT. AND IT’S MORE THAN JUST
GENETIC DIVERSITY. AS PLANTS AGE, THEY
CHANGE IN SIZE, VIGOR AND PRODUCTIVITY.
AND THEY SERVE DIFFERENT
ROLES IN THE POPULATION AS THEY AGE.
WHEN THE POPULATION LOSES IT’S AGE DIVERSITY, IT BECOMES LESS RESILIENT,
LESS PRODUCTIVE, AND THE DESIRABILITY TO
OTHER ORGANISMS WHO’VE COME TO DEPEND UPON THEM DECREASES.
I THINK ABOUT PROBLEMS IN OUR
FOREST AND SAGEBRUSH SYSTEMS, BUT A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS PHENOMENA IS OUR
URBAN FORESTS. TAKE A LOOK AROUND AND
NOTICE THE NUMBER OF GREAT STATELY OLD TREES.
MOST OF TREES HAVE A LIFESPAN SIMILAR TO HUMANS. ARE THERE AS MANY SAPLING TREES AS THERE ARE
KIDS IN THE HUMAN POPULATION? THERE
OUGHT TO BE!
A PLANT POPULATIONS VITALITY
DEPENDS UPON THERE BEING A VARIETY OF
AGES OF IN THE POPULATION. YOUNG,
OLD, AND IN BETWEEN. ALL, IN TURN, SERVE
THE DIFFERING NEEDS OF OTHER PLANTS AND ANIMALS WHO DEPEND UPON THEM.
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
WYOMING COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, I’M ERIC PETERSON