How does a tree survive when it's hollow?

Question

i know it starts to CODIT with walls but doesn't this effect the xylem, and parts of the cabium?

Answer 1

The nutrition for a tree is carried through the bark.  Therefore, hollow interior does not adversely affect the health of the tree.  Strip a tree of it's bark (just a narrow ring) and it will die.

Answer 2

nina's wrong.

all plants have xylem -and trees are plants.  the xylem cells form the tubes that the 'food' for the tree travels up to the leaves (mostly sugars) and these tubes are in the outer rings of the tree trunk (you know that trees have rings, yes?)  THe centre of the tree is structural, as is some layers around the xylem cells, and the bark protects the whole system from the outside elements.  So you can have a hollow tree and the nutrients still make it to the leaves (which need it to make more food!)

Answer 3

Some species of trees are different..State Forest Service told me , Most 80 years old trees has reach it`s level of productivity. It stops putting out pine cone seeds and stops putting out oxygen into the air. Don`t get me wrong, I love big trees more than most people. Just because there big and has green limbs does not make them healthy trees

Answer 4

Suki is correct. Cranky is incorrect.  Tree age has little to do with its health.  Various species have average life spans, Many of which are over 80 years and some over 1000 years(giant sequoia,bristle-cone pine).  What cranky is referring to is that as the tree reaches a certain size it becomes less productive.  It still produces oxygen and consumes CO2, but does not do it  at as high a rate as a young tree.  On a tree farm that is the proper time to harvest the tree.  But from an environmental point of view it continues to benefit the environment.  A burnt out tree can still be healthy and productive.  A more proper method of assessing its health would be to measure how much growth at the top it adds each season.  Each species of tree has its own growth rate for each soil type.  In California a healthy pine would add at least 6" of growth each year,  A vigirous pine could add 18" of growth each year. This would occur in type 1 soils in a normal water year.

Answer 5

i think the bark helps it..