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aminy23 t1_j5c263s wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in [Image] "No matter what happens in life; you can always start over." by fm_ua_fm

On a conventional tree (not palms/monocots) a new ring grow every year which is a well known fact. This is called the cambium layer.

What's lesser known is that the older rings die and the inside of the tree is just dead wood incapable of resprouting.

If a tree is cut down, it can resprout from the roots (suckers) or the cambium layer (water sprouts).

A tree is incapable of resprouting from the center of the stump. Most likely the center rotted away or cracked and a new tree sprouted from seed there.

The center of trees is the first part to rot and often your can have a big living tree that's hollow inside.

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aveindha25 t1_j5c85i9 wrote

Correct however this is clearly photoshopped, this pic gets posted here all the time. Saplings don't have that many branches or leaves. This tree is several years old and shrunk down and photoshopped into the stump.

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Future_Villain t1_j5cc2w3 wrote

>The center of trees is the first part to rot and often your can have a big living tree that's hollow inside.

This feels like it could be a really deep metaphor, or something.

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Ittakesawile t1_j5ek9uu wrote

Good information!!

Your statement about the cambium layer is not completely true, but really close. Not all of each new ring every year is cambium (it was at one point, but no necessarily during that growing season). Your rings come from a old xylem cells that no longer function due to age. The cambium layer is the living part of the tree and is very very small. It will end up creating a new ring, but it isn't necessarily a ring itself.

Only certain trees will resprout at all. Very few conifers will resprout after being cut down. One example of a conifer that will resprout are the redwood trees. However, almost all deciduous hardwood trees will resprout. Most will either sprout from the roots (suckers) OR the stump (from the sapwood, doesn't have to necessarily be the cambium layer) but most trees will usually not sprout from both. Some do, however, such as Ailanthus (one of the most invasive trees in the US). That feature about ailanthus helps it become as invasive and hard to kill as it is.

You are correct that a tree cannot resprout from the center of the stump (heartwood) because it is long dead.

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