Tree line
Videos
The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees can grow and beyond which they cannot. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environm
Tree line above St. Moritz, Switzerland. May 2009
In this view of an alpine tree line, the distant line looks particularly sharp. The foreground shows the transition from trees to no trees. These trees are stunted in growth and one-sided because of cold and constant wind.
Alpine tree line of mountain pine and European spruce below the subalpine zone of Bistrishko Branishte, with the surmounting Golyam Rezen Peak, Vitosha Mountain, Sofia, Bulgaria
An alpine tree line in the Tararua Range
Krummholz
Videos
Krummholz — also called knieholz — is a type of stunted, deformed vegetation encountered in the subarctic and subalpine tree line landscapes, shaped by continual exposure to fierce, freezing winds. Un
Tree line
…form a forest with a closed canopy. At the tree line, tree growth is often sparse, stunted, and deformed by wind and cold. This is sometimes known as krummholz (German for "crooked wood"). The tree line often appears well-defined, but it can be a more gradual transition. Trees grow shorter and often at lower…
Krummholz Pinus albicaulis in Wenatchee National Forest in north-central Washington, United States
Wind-sculpted krummholz trees, Ona Beach, Oregon, United States
Picea engelmannii flag tree in Colorado, at the tree line
Banner tree, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile