The growth of trees

based on an article by Stig Nordman 

Growth is dynamic

It’s surprising that many people think that the forest is a static unchanging part of the environment. As a matter of fact, the forest is changing all the time. One way to describe the growth is like this:

The amount that the forests in Finland grow by volume each year is 77 million cubic metres.  Considering that the growth happens between May and August, or in about 10 weeks you can say that the forests in Finland grow.

  • 7 700 000 m3 in a week
  • 1 100 000 m3 in a day
  • 46 000 m3 in an hour
  • 770 m3 in a minute
  • 13 m3 in a second

This growth is happening in each stage of a developing forest from a recently planted one to a forest that is ready for logging.

The growth of volume stops in August but the tree stays “awake” until later in autumn. The yellowing of leaves is an important phase that means that the chlorophyll in the leaves transfers into the trunk for the next spring.