A U.S. study suggests live oak trees across the nation are losing their battle for survival to suburban sprawl and the encroachment of taller trees.
A University of Florida botanist and the study's co-author, Francis Putz, said it is an irony of nature that the successes of reforestation and urban forestry threaten live oaks.
We are confusing our natural savanna heritage with forested landscapes and the tragedy is that the forest is killing live oaks, he said. If we allow other trees to grow up too close to the live oak, the live oak will die. Our research clearly establishes this fate in both rural and suburban landscapes.
Tova Spector, who co-authored the study as part of her master's thesis, said the live oak's broad crown, with limbs that spread horizontally, rather than vertically as most trees do, give it a distinctive architectural makeup. Trees that grow straight and tall crowd the live oaks, causing their crowns to die back, she said.
The research appeared in the June issue of Forest Ecology and Management.United Press International via RedOrbit
