Â鶹´«Ã½

Why don’t trees rot in the ground, while wooden structures do if they aren’t properly built? (continued)

Joe Geesin
Kidderminster, Worcestershire, UK

The wood that provides the structural basis of trees is non-living, i.e. a dead material, but it is surrounded by living material that grows, regenerates and transports fluid and nutrients around the organism.

The living parts that surround the wood can respond to injury, regrowing before rot sets in. The tree also has an immune system, and much of it is covered with protective bark. Parts unprotected by bark have their own adaptations that allow them to survive…