Posted by Melissa W on September 4, 2006

Q: Why do some trees grow sideways?

Habitat: forest/open woods

State: Pennsylvania

Habitat: forest/open woods

A: Good question Melissa. There are a couple of reasons why a tree might grow sideways that come to mind.

If a tree is growing on a hillside, there are times when the soil on which it is growing begins to slide down the hill and the tree begins to tip. One can often tell that this is happening if they notice that the branches come out from the tree in a normal fashion and then bend at a rather sharp upward angle. This would tell you that the tree started growing upright and then as the trunk tilted, the branches began growing differently to reach maximum sun.

Of course, trees need sunlight for growth so they will often grow at an angle if they're being shaded by a larger tree. This can cause a tree in the forest to grow a bit differently than other larger trees that surround it and make the tree end up at a strange angle. Once a tree gets started at a strange angle it may straighten out later, but the original part will remain crooked or tilted.

Hope this helps you out.

John Wiessinger ( September 5, 2006)