Watch the video: “Corwn shyness” – Why trees don’t “want” to touch each other.
These recordings show a fascinating phenomenon:
Many tree species in the forest keep their distance from their neighbors.
The fine distances in the foliage can be seen particularly well from a bird’s eye view in drone shots.
The phenomenon is referred to as “crown shyness”.
Researchers offer various explanations for this type of “social distancing” phenomenon in the canopy.
One possible explanation is that it is a defense against leaf-eating insect larvae.
A second explanation is that such shading should be prevented.
Another possibility is that if the trees come into contact with their neighbors when the wind blows, they stop growing their branches to prevent damage.
This thesis is confirmed by research results showing that different tree species develop different distances to each other when touched with different intensity.