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Article: Trees
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- Plant Sciences
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Trees
Trees are plants with an erect perennial stem at least 4 meters (13 feet) tall, a diameter measured at breast height (1.3 meters or 4.5 feet) of at least 7.5 centimeters (3 inches), and a distinct crown of leaves or leafy branches. This definition is widely used by foresters and forest ecologists to divide woody plants into trees, shrubs (smaller plants, often with clustered stems), and vines (plants not self-supporting and usually without a distinct crown). However, plant species are not constrained to fit definitions, thus plants of the same species may grow as trees in some areas and as shrubs in others, especially at the edge of the species' range where growing conditions are ...