Stagheading

[Yournamehere]

S'just an oak tee's way of settling down to a sensible middle age after the rash vigours of its teenage years.

[woodyguy]

Trouble is you see a tree in a field with stagheads and you say they've been ploughing too close. It might not be that simple.

Each year a tree has to grow a new layer over its entire surface area. So it can only get bigger. That's fine to a point but when it gets near the limits of its environment then retrenching is the only way to go, unless it just dies. So after drought years many oaks developed stagheads and then regrew. That is natural.

[fagus]

My understanding is that the root system has been comprised often by ploughing, roadworks, though age could do this. The loss of root vigour limits the roots capillary action rise; being no longer able to get enough water to the leaves at the top of the tree. The new water height maximum is found where the stag heading begins.