Living stump

Example of a living stump. Note the growth of new wood around the section while the heartwood starts to decay.
An older living stump, where the heartwood has mostly decayed.

A living stump is a tree stump which is fed sap from a neighbouring tree through one or more root grafts, thus remaining alive and able to grow (hence the other name of "growing stump") despite lacking foliage.

Description

Living stumps are characterized by the growth of new wood (callus) on the rim of the stump. Old stumps are typically hollow, with a wall of living tissue surrounding a cavity left by the decay of heartwood; however, in some species like the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), the growth of callus may be fast enough to "cap" the stump, which is then protected from decay and attacks by insects or fungi . A living stump can persist as long as its host tree remains alive, some reaching ages of 50, 60, 80 and up to 200 years.

Formation

A living stump forms when a felled tree is connected to an intact tree through its roots; they are thus frequently found in dense stands of trees of the same species where root grafts are likelier . Most living stumps are located in a radius of 6 ft (1.8 meters) of the host tree, altough distances of 20 ft (6 m) or even 50 ft (15 m) have been reported.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Page, Frederick S. (1927). "Living stumps". Journal of Forestry. 25 (6): 687–690 – via Oxford Academic.
  2. 1 2 Bormann, F.H.; Graham Jr., B.F. (1959). "The occurrence of natural root grafting in eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), and its ecological implications". Ecology. 40 (4): 677–691. doi:10.2307/1929820. JSTOR 1929820.
  3. 1 2 Newins, Harold S. (1916). "The Natural Root Grafting of Conifers"". Proceeding of the Society of American Foresters. 11: 394–404 – via Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 3 Davidson, Donald W. (1963). "Living Stumps of Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. (Hemlock) in Northern New Jersey". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 90 (3): 204–207. doi:10.2307/2482756. JSTOR 2482756.
  5. 1 2 3 Lanner, Ronald M. (1961). "Living Stumps in the Sierra Nevada". Ecology. 42 (1): 170–173. doi:10.2307/1933281. JSTOR 1933281.
  6. ↑ Pemberton, C.C. (1920). "Living Stumps of Trees". American Forestry. 26 (322): 614–616 – via Internet Archive.