Extension Forestry

How Does A Tree Grow?

All plant growth is the result of cell division in specialized tissues called meristems. The newly formed cells differentiate and undergo structural changes to produce the different organs of the plant. Once completed, the cells then become part of the plants permanent tissue, which is fully differentiated and not capable of cell division. In trees, meristems are located in three places: the root tips, the cambium, and the buds.

How a tree grows: roots - trunk - crown - tree form

ISU Extension Tree Identification Page - ISU Forestry Extension - ISU Extension

Contact: Paul Wray
Last Update: September 1996