Looking at the trunks of a young and an old larch, not only the expected differences in height and diameter can be determined. The covering, the protective bark, has also undergone significant changes with age. Which ones are they?
Bark protects a trunk from weather and disease
Abandonment of the bark or bark
The bark protects the trunk from harmful external influences. As the tree grows, the bark must also be able to withstand it so that it can continue to perform its functions well.
- it protects the tree from the sun, wind and rain
- withstands fluctuating temperatures
- serves as a defense against pests and pathogens
Notice:
The young bark of the larch is a tasty fodder for game. Therefore, this tree species often has to suffer from browsing in the forest if no protective measures are taken when planting.
bark of long shoots
The bark of long shoots is light colored immediately after sprouting. The tone can best be described as light yellow, although there is often a hint of grey. Only in the third year does the color darken to a clear gray or even become completely black.
young bark
The larch forms a bark very early on. In young trees, this is initially very smooth. It has a greenish, occasionally also a gray-brown color.
Old bark
The young bark, which is initially very thin, quickly increases in thickness.
- the bark is up to 10 cm thick
- it is irregularly scaly
- traversed by deep, reddish-brown furrows
- Scales flake off vertically
Siberian larch
While the bark of the Japanese larch largely resembles the bark of a European larch, the Siberian larch differs in part.
- is grey-brown and smooth at the beginning
- later only weakly barked
- with age, a deeply fissured scaly bark appears
The Siberian larch forms a very thick bark, which accounts for about 15% of the trunk diameter. This is probably due to the harsh climatic conditions in their homeland.
bright spots
One pest in the forest that likes to cavort under the bark of trees does not stop at the larch either: the bark beetle or the larch bark beetle.
The woodpecker hunts for the larvae of this pest and detaches individual scales of bark with its knocking. From a distance, these scale-free areas look like light spots.