Can a stump be alive without foliage?

As a general rule, a stump that produces no foliage is dead. However, in rare circumstances, it’s technically possible for it to live on.

As a general rule, a stump that produces no foliage is dead. However, in rare circumstances, it’s technically possible for it to live on.
 
A tree relies on resources from two main sources: roots and foliage. The roots draw moisture and minerals into the tree, and foliage is needed to turn sunlight into sugar, which is then used for energy. Without this energy, the tree’s hopes will be short-lived.

That’s why, when you cut a tree down, the stump’s first objective is to grow new foliage using whatever stored resources it has. This is a costly process, and if it doesn’t lead to a steady flow of sugar, the tree will soon deplete its   reserves and give up the ghost. But there does appear to be one way that a tree can get sugar, without producing it on their own. That’s through the support of other trees.

Why would trees share resources?Trees are actually social creatures. Most trees have a collective survival strategy, which is why you see them growing in stands. This is a nuanced subject, but it has much to do with keeping other trees from dominating their space and taking their resources. Just like with humans and animals, the survival of one tree relies on the survival of others.
 
Mysteriously enough, though, a tree’s dependence on other trees goes beyond the mere logistical advantages of strength in numbers. It seems to be more social than that.


Peter Wollehben relates in his book, The Hidden Life of Trees, a story about encountering an ancient beech stump - without foliage - that was unquestionably alive. He theorizes that the stand of younger beeches, which grew in a wide ring around it, were feeding it resources.
 
Throughout the book, he illustrates various strategies trees use to share resources, and theorizes about the various reasons why they do this. Usually, there’s an obvious reason why they do it – there’s some net gain for the entire colony of trees. What’s good for the tribe is good for the tree.


However, in this peculiar case, there didn’t seem to be any strategic value in keeping a decrepit stump on life support. Wollehben goes on to speculate that perhaps the ancient tree has some kind of social value – maybe, for instance, it’s revered as an important elder. As of now, it’s unclear to experts what that value is, exactly.
 
The lives of trees are mysterious, and The Hidden Life of Trees only scratches the surface. What we do know is that, in rare circumstances, trees can survive without foliage.
This is only one of the many mysteries of trees. A deeper look into their hidden lives shows us that their lives are more complex than we’ve assumed, raising questions like:

1. How do trees track time?
2. Do trees have memories?
3. Is a stand of trees a community, or one organism?
4. How is life different for native trees and re-forested trees?

​For more insights from the tree world, including seasonal tree care tips and peculiarities like the ones above, you can sign up for our newsletter here.