Talk:Tree/Archive 1

"They will grow with 2 clear blocks between trunks." This information is false. I've had trees grow right next to each other (One space away from the initial trunk) with the help of torches. --DrDude 4:05, 27 July 2010 (EDT)

In reference to the statement that more shrubs create bigger trees, I had done the same and the tree became about 15-20 blocks or so in height.

Someone could add information about those "big" trees with brances what came in the newest update. --Nunuru 13:30, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Why does "Tree" redirect to log?Toadbert

I suspect the height of a tree's growth may be influenced by how tall nearby structures are, such as walls or other trees. This makes sense from a certain standpoint: the tree is trying to maximize the amount of sunlight that falls on its leaves throughout the day. --Eldoran 22:32, 2 October 2010 (PDT)
 * What I'm curious about is the maximum height trees can get and why they stop growing. I've seen huge trees on the tops of mountains, obviously no good reason to grow that tall. Is there a random height set when they start growing and that is as tall as they get? MrMatthew 23:26, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Tree growth test results
I created the following grid (left in first image) of saplings which, after only a few (in-game) days of growing grew trees, not just within two blocks of one another, but actually intertwined and creating massive walls.
 * Image

Screenshots:, , , ,

After returning to the site I decided to trim some leaves, but then realized it was pretty stupid because that would ruin the whole natural test. These screenshots were made immediately as I realized this so no trees have grown due to leaf trimming. Well, I hope this clears up some things for curious people and disproves the 'does not grow when adjacent to another tree' theory. - AARST (insert timestamp here, it's 1:20AM on the 6th of October)

Leaves, designated tool and durability
I did some testing. A wooden axe can chop down 33 logs before breaking down. It can also break 33 leaf blocks before breaking. This means they are  not taking double damage, and that axes are  the designated  tool for removing leaves.

Also, a hoe can be used to  remove the leaves, because a hoe only loses  durability when  right-clicking. Saying a hoe can be used to remove leaves without it  breaking is akin to saying flint&steel can be  used (left-click!) for  the same purpose without it losing durability. In my opinion, the part about the hoe should be removed from the  article, because it's  misleading. Noroom 07:54, 13 October 2010 (CDT)


 * I believe I covered the normal rate of degradation for axes with the statement: "Axes lose durability at  the normal rate when removing leaves."  Nice catch on the hoe though; it  didn't occur to me that that was why they didn't degrade.  I've  clarified it in the article, but I feel it's worth leaving in, else  we'll get legions of people thinking "I've discovered that hoes don't  degrade when removing leaves! I'd better add that to the article!" and  doing a poor job of it it. Similarly I don't think most people regard  the flint and steel as a block bashing type of tool, and putting it in  here might just confuse things.  Thanks for the feedback.  --Deathandgravity 13:12, 13 October 2010 (UTC)


 * Whoops. Somehow my changes were lost. Luckily I could pull them back from my laptop's cache. Here's what I wrote: How about this?
 * Logs can be harvested more quickly using an axe. Axes can also be used to  remove leaves, and doing so will cause them to lose durability at the  same rate as with logs. It is worth mentioning there is no speed  increase when using any tool to remove leaves. Additionally, using tools  for purposes other than their intended ones will cause them to lose  durability at double the normal rate. Tools like the hoe are an  exception, since their "use" action is triggered by right-clicking, and  leaves are removed by left-clicking. Thus, they will not take damage  from removing leaves.
 * Let me know what you think and I'll add it in. Noroom 10:43, 14 October 2010 (UTC)


 * Noroom: I actually made some changes along the line of your suggestions already, since your changes were lost. I also added some more information about swords removing leaves more quickly (tested to confirm).  Take a look at what's there at the moment.  I think it covers your comments, although it doesn't explain durability so completely, but I don't think the "trees" article is the place for an explanation of durability. If you think it still needs changing or if it's ok as it is now, let me know. --Deathandgravity 06:57, 15 October 2010 (UTC)


 * Great work. It's great there's a community so committed to ensuring articles are accurate and well-written. Thanks! Noroom 10:46, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

Added note about nighttime tree behavior
I just drained a large basin of water and planted over 130 saplings on the dirt underneath. They had more than sufficient space, and all were exposed to the open air above them. At night, all but 3 died. The three that lived happened to be placed next to torches I had placed earlier.

It appears that trees planted below the water line are checked regularly for sufficient lighting conditions, while those above the water line are only checked during the day. I've added this to the article. I'm just adding this here so people know how I came to this conclusion.

Removed note about night time tree behaviour. I can't tell you why all your saplings died, but I've just run some tests and confirmed that the note that you added to the article was factually incorrect. Trees do not check whether they're above or below the water table, at night or otherwise. I dug holes of varying depths and planted trees at the bottom; all survived and grew.

The only thing that influences whether a sapling pops out of the dirt is whether it has enough light - apce is not an issue. It appears that moonlight is enough light to keep saplings "alive", and from the article on light, this means it has a value of 8. I'm going to make the changes to the light article.

I'm going to hazard a guess that you might be playing SMP; if that's the case then all bets are off regarding tree and sapling behaviour, as it's notoriously buggy in SMP. --Deathandgravity 07:22, 14 October 2010 (UTC)

Removed note about tree growth
The note added by Ikalpo was factually incorrect. The length of time a tree is a sapling does not affect how large a tree it will become. Rather, if a sapling is prevented from growing into a small tree by adjacent features, it will generally take longer to produce a large tree. I believe the way tree growth occurs is that after a random period of time, a sapling gets a chance to grow into a tree, and a random tree height is selected. If the sapling cannot grow into a tree of that height, it must wait another random period of time and "try again". Because small trees seem to grow with higher probability than large trees, more small trees are created, but a sapling can grow into a large tree on its first try, unless something stops it. --Deathandgravity 07:36, 17 October 2010 (CDT)