tree lines
Where forests end
Tree lines mark the elevation or latitude beyond which trees cannot grow.
In mountains, the tree line represents where conditions become too harsh—too cold, windy, or rocky—for trees to survive: We hiked above the tree line into alpine tundra.
Arctic and Antarctic tree lines mark similar boundaries at high latitudes.
Also called timberlines.
- timberlineElevation beyond which trees fail
- upper limitMaximum permitted value
- subalpineJust below treeline zone
- stunted growthIncomplete physical development
- mountain pineHigh-elevation conifer species
fencerows · edge · ecotone · forest · pine · boreal forest · shelterbelt · bark · hedgerow · altitudinal zonation · high altitude · elevation · transition zone · conifers · boundary · wildlife corridor · windswept · vegetation
- windbreaksshelterbelt, shelter belt, shelterbelts, hedgerows, hedgerow
- leading linesconverging lines, vanishing point, diagonals, S-curve, S-curves
- mountainsmountain, peaks, peak, summit, summits
- fall sceneryfalling leaves, foliage, pumpkin patches, orchards, red maples
- green spacescity parks, park, greenbelts, green belt, green belts
- wind effectstornadoes, hurricanes, sand storms, dust storms, blizzards
landscape vegetation features
tree linesopen fields
Unenclosed expanses of land
clearings · meadows · grasslands · prairies · parking lots