Krummholz
These stunted trees exist mostly above treeline. Krummholz can be over a hundred years old, and, if these trees were in the valley, they might be over fifty feet high. But above treeline, they are only a few feet tall.
Images 1 to 5 of 12
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Monadnock / Marlboro Trail - Pitted Rock Portions of this rock were softer than others, and the softer - or perhaps more soluble - portions were worn away by rain or the actions of the glaciers tens of thousands of years ago. The low branches may themselves be a hundred years old, because the weather is so hard on exposed vegetation at these altitudes and latitudes. See also… 10/11/2004 |
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Monadnock / Marlboro Trail - Brush Cave This slot might be an excellent refuge from the fierce weather that occasionally sweeps the mountain. The krummholz forms a fairly secure shelter across the top of this giant crack in the rock. See also… 10/11/2004 |
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Monadnock / Side Foot - Breaking Out Above Treeline About fifty feet above the White Arrow Trail, the treeline touches the forest in a scrubby area of conifers and granite. Not quite abused by weather enough to become krummholz, this transitional zone still shows significant stunted growth and distortion in the remaining trees. See also… 8/23/2004 |
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Lowe`s Bald Spot - View Across the Summit to the North This view to the north across the summit shows how the wind has deformed the taller trees, and killed some of the lower. See also… 7/28/2003 |
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Lowe`s Bald Spot - Alpine Understory This is a peek underneath the tall krummholz of Lowe's Bald Spot. Here the needles form a soft surface spotted with moss and providing a cover for the soil that thinly coats the rock. See also… 7/28/2003 |
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