Krummholz
stunted vegetation in subarctic/subalpine tree lines
Krummholz (German: krumm, 'crooked, bent, twisted' and Holz, 'wood') — also called knieholz ('knee timber') — is a type of stunted, deformed vegetation encountered in the subarctic and subalpine tree line landscapes, shaped by continual exposure to fierce, freezing winds. Under these conditions, trees can survive only where they are sheltered by rock formations or snow cover. As the lower portion of these trees continues to grow, the coverage becomes extremely dense near the ground. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the formation is known as tuckamore. Krummholz trees are also found on beaches, such as the Oregon coast, where trees can become much taller than their subalpine cousins.
The labeling of diverse sets of tree species in different ecological contexts may be problematic. The ecological requirements of krummholz trees in the Alps, for example, are different from those in the Rockies. The terms scrub or shrubland may be more appropriate for some communities with krummholz trees.
Krummholz trees can cover nearly all of the area in which they inhabit, with only patches of moss and flowers in between. Frequent fog and cloudy conditions, along with cool weather, create a rather moist microclimate around the shrubs.
The public source identifies “Krummholz” as stunted vegetation in subarctic/subalpine tree lines. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Krummholz, stunted and vegetation.
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This entry incorporates text from “Krummholz” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.