v50 Steam/Premium information for editors
  • v50 information can now be added to pages in the main namespace. v0.47 information can still be found in the DF2014 namespace. See here for more details on the new versioning policy.
  • Use this page to report any issues related to the migration.
This notice may be cached—the current version can be found here.

Difference between revisions of "40d:Tree"

From Dwarf Fortress Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Trying to improve grammar so not so confusing. (not sure if my version's much better tho...))
(→‎Tree growth: Turns out it's only 3/10 years, or 3 months 16.8 days)
 
(53 intermediate revisions by 19 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Across the [[world]], '''trees''' can be found littering the landscape. Depending on the [[biome]] (i.e., whether trees are scarce or dense), they can be a great renewable source of [[wood]].  There are many different varieties that grow in different [[biomes]]. [[Tower-cap]]s grow only underground, every other variety occurs only outdoors. The only difference between trees is the (usually very minor) weight difference of the wood they produce; otherwise all trees are of equal usefulness and value.
+
{{quality|Masterwork|21:20, 26 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
 +
'''Trees''' can be found on almost any playable map. Depending whether trees are scarce or dense, they can be a great renewable source of [[wood]].  The density of growth is determined by the [[biome]], and those are visible on the pre-[[embark]] screen by hitting {{k|F1}}, {{k|F2}} etc. Density does not change - there are no climate shifts during game play.
  
Trees are currently{{version|0.28.181.40d}} not a source of food or other material, so it is not possible to harvest mangos, maple syrup, nuts, rubber, etc.
+
There are many different varieties that grow in various different types of biomes. [[Tower-cap]]s are trees (giant mushrooms, actually) that grow only underground, and are the only ones that do, and then only under special circumstances. The only difference between different types of trees is the (usually very minor) difference in the weight of the log or item produced - otherwise all trees are identical, equal in usefulness and value.*
  
''Trees'' are a type of [[map tile]], not [[construction]]s, similar to solid [[rock]] or [[bush]]es. They must be designated for removal from the [[designations|{{Key|d}}esignations menu]] chop {{k|t}}rees, which will instruct [[dwarves]] with the [[woodcutter]] skill to grab an [[axe]] and begin chopping down the tree. Once cut down, they become one unit of [[wood]], which is movable and can be hauled by enabling the the Haul Wood labour on any dwarf and designating a wood [[stockpile]].
+
:''(* Note that [[preference]]s can alter a dwarf's perception of the value of items made from a type of wood that they prefer.)''
  
Trees viewed from one z-level higher look like coloured rectangles or [[stone]] [[block]]s floating in the air. Deciduous trees will change colour to red or yellow in [[autumn]], and lose their leaves in [[winter]]: {{tile|╞|#770}}.  This does not affect their usefulness - they may be cut down in any season.
+
Viewed on their same [[z-level]], many different sub-types of trees have their own symbol, such as {{tile|♣|2:0}}, {{tile|♠|2:0}}, {{tile|¶|2:0}}, {{tile|╞|2:0}} or {{tile|⌠|2:0}}.  Some share the same symbol, but since the only difference is for preferences, this is not a significant problem.  (See table, below, for tree/symbol pairs.)  For most purposes, a tree is a tree.
  
Trees grow from '''saplings''', which start growing randomly on tiles of a suitable biome. Saplings can be destroyed by heavy [[traffic]]. To grow from a sapling to a tree takes about a year and a half, though this seems randomized to some degreeA map can be stripped of all trees and saplings and yet they will still regrow.  <!--Which is why those elves need to quit bitching about our timber industry.-->
+
Trees viewed from one z-level higher look like coloured rectangles ( {{tile|■|2:0}} ), appearing identical to coloured [[block]]s floating in the air. Deciduous trees will change colour to red or yellow in [[autumn]] ( {{tile|♣|4:1}}, {{tile|♠|6:1}} ), and lose their leaves in [[winter]] ( {{tile|╞|6:0}} )This does not affect their usefulness - they may be cut down in any season, and produce the same end result.
  
Trees ''will not'' as of yet be destroyed by [[magma]] or [[fire]] (nor will [[water]] damage them in any way).  Saplings can 'drown' in [[water]] and [[magma]], though.  [[Ballista]] arrows can destroy trees, but [[catapult]] stones will not.
+
Trees are not a source of food or other material, so it is not possible to harvest mangos, maple syrup, nuts, rubber, etc.
  
Trees (but not saplings) will block [[channel]]ing, and [[wall]]s and other [[construction]]s.
+
===Harvesting / Removing the barrier===
 +
Trees are a type of [[map tile]] that form a solid barrier, like [[stone]] or [[ore]].  Trees (but not saplings) will block movement, and prevent designation of [[channel]]ing, [[wall]]s and other [[construction]]s.  [[Caravan]]s are especially vulnerable to being blocked by trees, since they require a path 3-tiles wide.  Trees do not form a floor on the level above them - creatures cannot walk "on top of" trees.  However, a dwarf dropped on top of a tree will remain on top of (1 z-level above) it unless there is a neighboring surface on the same z-level for him to step off onto.  Fired ammunition (arrows, bolts, &c.) will sometimes get 'stuck in a tree' in this fashion as well.
  
Trees also gain names near [[elf|elven]] settlements. It is unclear what effect this has on gameplay, if any at all.
+
They must be designated for removal from the [[designations|{{Key|d}}esignations menu]] chop {{k|t}}rees, which will instruct [[dwarves]] with the [[Wood cutter|woodcutting]] [[labor]] enabled to grab an [[axe]] and begin chopping down the tree. Once cut down, they become one [[wood|wood log]], which is movable and can be hauled by enabling the Haul Wood labor on any dwarf and designating a wood [[stockpile]].
  
Saplings will not grow on a tile with items on it (such as stone, food, etc).
+
Trees ''will not'' as of yet be destroyed by [[magma]] or [[fire]] (nor will [[water]] damage them in any way). Saplings can 'drown' in [[water]] and [[magma]], though.  [[Ballista]] arrows can destroy trees, but [[catapult]] stones will not.
  
A given area block has a limit of "things that can grow on it" - and trees and shrubs compete for this when that maximum is reached. Removing shrubs will allow more trees to be able to grow.{{verify}} A downside to removing these shrubberies is that most of the saplings in the area will be trampled in the process unless they are marked as low-traffic areas first, a time-consuming process.
+
Under certain circumstances items can wind up "on top" of trees (1 z-level above the tree).  This occurs when an arrow reaches its maximum range above a tree and then falls onto it, an enemy (or part of one) flies onto the tree, or when any item is otherwise dropped directly above the tree. As dwarves cannot walk on trees, the only way to recover these items is to cut down the tree.
  
== List of Trees ==
+
====Trees and ramps====
 +
Digging a ramp underneath a tree will cause a [[cave-in]] - but the tree will be removed. The tree will not leave a log behind. This is not true of saplings.
 +
 
 +
===Tree growth===
 +
Trees grow from '''saplings''', which start growing randomly on tiles of a suitable biome. Saplings can be killed by heavy [[traffic]], and also flooding.  Dead saplings will remain for some seasons, and then disappear - or heavy traffic will trample them away.  To grow from a sapling to a tree takes only 3 months and 16.8 days. Trees do not need to be (and can't be) "planted" - even if a map is stripped of all trees, new saplings will regrow, randomly and in their own time. Sadly, the [[elf|elves]] do not seem to comprehend this.
 +
 
 +
Saplings will not grow to maturity if their tile contains an item or building (including stockpile designations), though removing the item may cause the tree to spontaneously grow up. Paved [[road]]s and [[farm plot]]s periodically purge all terrain features below them, preventing trees (or shrubs) from growing in unwanted areas. Trees cannot grow on stairs or ramps, making it possible to keep trees out of your plumbing by using {{K|u}}p stairs instead of {{K|d}}igging (this does not reveal the tile above). Above-ground trees will only grow in areas where there is sufficient soil in a 3-tile radius beneath them (depending on the local vegetation density ''and'' the quantity of other plants nearby); [[Tower-cap]]s work the same way, but they also benefit from muddy tiles in a 3-tile radius on the same Z-level.
 +
 
 +
A given [[Region|area block]] has a limit of "things that can grow on it" - and trees and shrubs compete for this when that maximum is reached.*  Removing shrubs will allow more trees (and shrubs) to be able to grow.  A downside to removing these shrubberies is that most of the saplings in the area will be trampled in the process unless they are marked as low-traffic or restricted areas first, a slightly time-consuming process.
 +
 
 +
:''(*Tower-caps (and underground shrubs?), on levels below the first "above ground" level, do not seem to count toward this limit.)
 +
 
 +
==Elven Diplomats==
 +
Elven [[diplomat]]s eventually come to talk about the "tree situation" in your fort.  Sometimes the diplomat will arrive and merely complain but most often the diplomat will want to set a limit to the number of trees <s>butchered</s> harvested to <s>feed</s> fuel your <s>earth blighting death machines</s> industry.  This quota is based on all the logs you have in your stocks, '''no matter what the source.'''  It doesn't matter if you have a [[Tower-cap]] farm or if you import all your wood; if you have any wood in your stocks, the <s>treehuggers</s> elves will complain.
 +
 
 +
In version 0.28.181.39a and earlier, trees gained names near [[elf|elven]] settlements. It is unclear what effect this had on gameplay, if any at all.
 +
 
 +
==List of Trees ==
 +
Above-ground trees marked as "Wet" will only grow within 2 tiles of a natural River or Murky Pool, while those marked as "Dry" will only grow if there is ''no'' river/pool within that range.
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table head}}
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Acacia]]|tile={{tile|♣|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forest<br />Tropical Grassland<br />Tropical Savanna<br />Tropical Shrubland</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=thorns }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Alder]]|tile={{tile|♣|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=Yes|wt=410|pref=catkins<br />autumn coloration }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Ash (tree)|Ash]]|tile={{tile|♠|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=|wt=620|pref=flying keys<br />autumn coloration }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Birch]]|tile={{tile|♣|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=Yes|wt=670|pref=catkins<br />silver bark<br />autumn coloration }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Cacao tree]]|tile={{tile|Γ|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=flowers }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Candlenut]]|tile={{tile|Γ|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Tropical Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=nuts }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Cedar]]|tile={{tile|↨|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Temperate Conifer Forest<br />Tropical Conifer Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=380|pref=majesty }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Chestnut]]|tile={{tile|♠|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=Yes|wt=500|pref=smelly catkins<br />spiny pods<br />chestnuts<br />autumn coloration }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Feather tree]]|tile={{tile|♣|2:0}}|hab=Not Freezing|align=<span style="color:blue">Good</span> (Dry)|decid=No|wt=100|pref=feathery leaves }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Glumprong]]|tile={{tile|┤|2:0}}|hab=Not Freezing|align=<span style="color:purple">Evil</span> (Dry)|decid=No|wt=1200|pref=living shadows }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Highwood]]|tile={{tile|¶|2:0}}|hab=Not Freezing|align=<span style="color:red">Savage</span> (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=magnificence }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Larch]]|tile={{tile|↑|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Taiga Forest<br />Temperate Conifer Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=Yes|wt=590|pref=cones<br />needles }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Mango tree]]|tile={{tile|Γ|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Tropical Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=sweet-smelling flowers }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Kapok]]|tile={{tile|Γ|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=buttresses }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Mahogany]]|tile={{tile|♠|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Tropical Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=600|pref=loose inflorescences }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Maple]]|tile={{tile|♣|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Temperate Broadleaf Forest<br />Temperate Grassland<br />Temperate Savanna<br />Temperate Shrubland</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=Yes|wt=755|pref=autumn coloration }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Oak]]|tile={{tile|♠|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=Yes|wt=700|pref=acorns<br />autumn coloration }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Palm]]|tile={{tile|Γ|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Tropical</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=leaves }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Pine]]|tile={{tile|↑|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Taiga Forest<br />Temperate Conifer Forest<br />Tropical Conifer Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=560|pref=cones<br />needles }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Rubber tree]]|tile={{tile|Γ|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=branch shedding }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Saguaro]]|tile={{tile|╞|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:brown">Any Desert</span>|align=All (Dry)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=amazing arms }}
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Mangrove]]|tile={{tile|♣|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:blue">Mangrove Swamp</span>|align=All (Wet)|decid=No|wt=500|pref=roots }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Tower-cap]]|tile={{tile|♣|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:teal">*Subterranean ''SPECIAL*''</span>|align=All|decid=No|wt=600|pref=great size }}
 +
 
 +
{{Tree table row|name=[[Willow]]|tile={{tile|⌠|2:0}}|hab=<span style="color:green">Any Temperate<br />Any Tropical Forest<br />Tropical Grassland<br />Tropical Savanna<br />Tropical Shrubland</span><br /><span style="color:blue">Tropical Freshwater Swamp<br />Tropical Saltwater Swamp<br />Tropical Freshwater Marsh<br />Tropical Saltwater Marsh</span>|align=All (Wet)|decid=No|wt=420|pref=sad appearance<br />fluffy catkins }}
  
{| {{prettytable}}
 
|- style="background:#ddd"
 
! Tree Name
 
! Habitat !! Tile !! Alignment !! Density (Weight) !! Deciduous
 
|-
 
! id="mangrove"|Mangrove
 
| <span style="color:blue">Mangrove Swamp (Wet)</span> || {{tile|♣|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="saguaro"|Saguaro
 
| <span style="color:orange">Any Desert (Dry)</span> || {{tile|╞|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="pine"|Pine
 
| <span style="color:green">Taiga Forest (Dry)<br>Temperate Conifer Forest<br>Tropical Conifer Forest</span> || {{tile|↑|green|black}} || All || 560 || No
 
|-
 
! id="cedar"|Cedar
 
| <span style="color:green">Temperate Conifer Forest (Dry)<br>Tropical Conifer Forest</span> || {{tile|↨|green|black}} || All || 380 || No
 
|-
 
! id="oak"|Oak
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|♠|green|black}} || All || 700 || Yes
 
|-
 
! id="mahogany"|Mahogany
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Tropical Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|♠|green|black}} || All || 600 || No
 
|-
 
! id="acacia"|Acacia
 
| <span style="color:green">Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forest (Dry)<br>Tropical Grassland<br>Tropical Savanna<br>Tropical Shrubland</span> || {{tile|♣|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="kapok"|Kapok
 
| <span style="color:green">Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|Γ|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="maple"|Maple
 
| <span style="color:green">Temperate Broadleaf Forest (Dry)<br>Temperate Grassland<br>Temperate Savanna<br>Temperate Shrubland</span> || {{tile|♣|green|black}} || All || 755 || Yes
 
|-
 
! id="willow"|Willow
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Temperate (Wet)<br>Any Tropical Forest<br>Tropical Grassland<br>Tropical Savanna<br>Tropical Shrubland</span><br><span style="color:blue">Tropical Freshwater Swamp<br>Tropical Saltwater Swamp<br>Tropical Freshwater Marsh<br>Tropical Saltwater Marsh</span> || {{tile|⌠|green|black}} || All || 420 || No
 
|-
 
! id="tower-cap"|[[Tower-cap]]
 
| <span style="color:brown">Subterranean Water (Wet)(Dry)</span> || {{tile|♣|green|black}} || All || 600 || No
 
|-
 
! id="glumprong"|Glumprong
 
| Not Freezing (Dry) || {{tile|┤|green|black}} || <span style="color:purple">Evil</span> || 1200 || No
 
|-
 
! id="feathertree"|Feather tree
 
| Not Freezing (Dry) || {{tile|♣|green|black}} || <span style="color:blue">Good</span> || 100 || No
 
|-
 
! id="highwood"|Highwood
 
| Not Freezing (Dry) || {{tile|¶|green|black}} || <span style="color:red">Savage</span> || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="larch"|Larch
 
| <span style="color:green">Taiga Forest (Dry)<br>Temperate Conifer Forest</span> || {{tile|↑|green|black}} || All || 590 || Yes
 
|-
 
! id="chestnut"|Chestnut
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|♠|green|black}} || All || 500 || Yes
 
|-
 
! id="alder"|Alder
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|♣|green|black}} || All || 410 || Yes
 
|-
 
! id="birch"|Birch
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|♣|green|black}} || All || 670 || Yes
 
|-
 
! id="ashtree"|Ash
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|♠|green|black}} || All || 620 || Yes
 
|-
 
! id="candlenut"|Candlenut
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Tropical Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|Γ|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="mangotree"|Mango tree
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Tropical Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|Γ|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="rubbertree"|Rubber tree
 
| <span style="color:green">Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|Γ|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="cacaotree"|Cacao tree
 
| <span style="color:green">Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest (Dry)</span> || {{tile|Γ|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
|-
 
! id="palm"|Palm
 
| <span style="color:green">Any Tropical (Dry)</span> || {{tile|Γ|green|black}} || All || 500 || No
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
 +
{{Plants}}
  
[[Category:Map tiles]][[Category:Trees]]
+
[[Category:Map tiles]]{{Category|Trees}}

Latest revision as of 01:22, 20 October 2023

This article is about an older version of DF.

Trees can be found on almost any playable map. Depending whether trees are scarce or dense, they can be a great renewable source of wood. The density of growth is determined by the biome, and those are visible on the pre-embark screen by hitting F1, F2 etc. Density does not change - there are no climate shifts during game play.

There are many different varieties that grow in various different types of biomes. Tower-caps are trees (giant mushrooms, actually) that grow only underground, and are the only ones that do, and then only under special circumstances. The only difference between different types of trees is the (usually very minor) difference in the weight of the log or item produced - otherwise all trees are identical, equal in usefulness and value.*

(* Note that preferences can alter a dwarf's perception of the value of items made from a type of wood that they prefer.)

Viewed on their same z-level, many different sub-types of trees have their own symbol, such as , , , or . Some share the same symbol, but since the only difference is for preferences, this is not a significant problem. (See table, below, for tree/symbol pairs.) For most purposes, a tree is a tree.

Trees viewed from one z-level higher look like coloured rectangles ( ), appearing identical to coloured blocks floating in the air. Deciduous trees will change colour to red or yellow in autumn ( , ), and lose their leaves in winter ( ). This does not affect their usefulness - they may be cut down in any season, and produce the same end result.

Trees are not a source of food or other material, so it is not possible to harvest mangos, maple syrup, nuts, rubber, etc.

Harvesting / Removing the barrier[edit]

Trees are a type of map tile that form a solid barrier, like stone or ore. Trees (but not saplings) will block movement, and prevent designation of channeling, walls and other constructions. Caravans are especially vulnerable to being blocked by trees, since they require a path 3-tiles wide. Trees do not form a floor on the level above them - creatures cannot walk "on top of" trees. However, a dwarf dropped on top of a tree will remain on top of (1 z-level above) it unless there is a neighboring surface on the same z-level for him to step off onto. Fired ammunition (arrows, bolts, &c.) will sometimes get 'stuck in a tree' in this fashion as well.

They must be designated for removal from the designations menu chop trees, which will instruct dwarves with the woodcutting labor enabled to grab an axe and begin chopping down the tree. Once cut down, they become one wood log, which is movable and can be hauled by enabling the Haul Wood labor on any dwarf and designating a wood stockpile.

Trees will not as of yet be destroyed by magma or fire (nor will water damage them in any way). Saplings can 'drown' in water and magma, though. Ballista arrows can destroy trees, but catapult stones will not.

Under certain circumstances items can wind up "on top" of trees (1 z-level above the tree). This occurs when an arrow reaches its maximum range above a tree and then falls onto it, an enemy (or part of one) flies onto the tree, or when any item is otherwise dropped directly above the tree. As dwarves cannot walk on trees, the only way to recover these items is to cut down the tree.

Trees and ramps[edit]

Digging a ramp underneath a tree will cause a cave-in - but the tree will be removed. The tree will not leave a log behind. This is not true of saplings.

Tree growth[edit]

Trees grow from saplings, which start growing randomly on tiles of a suitable biome. Saplings can be killed by heavy traffic, and also flooding. Dead saplings will remain for some seasons, and then disappear - or heavy traffic will trample them away. To grow from a sapling to a tree takes only 3 months and 16.8 days. Trees do not need to be (and can't be) "planted" - even if a map is stripped of all trees, new saplings will regrow, randomly and in their own time. Sadly, the elves do not seem to comprehend this.

Saplings will not grow to maturity if their tile contains an item or building (including stockpile designations), though removing the item may cause the tree to spontaneously grow up. Paved roads and farm plots periodically purge all terrain features below them, preventing trees (or shrubs) from growing in unwanted areas. Trees cannot grow on stairs or ramps, making it possible to keep trees out of your plumbing by using up stairs instead of digging (this does not reveal the tile above). Above-ground trees will only grow in areas where there is sufficient soil in a 3-tile radius beneath them (depending on the local vegetation density and the quantity of other plants nearby); Tower-caps work the same way, but they also benefit from muddy tiles in a 3-tile radius on the same Z-level.

A given area block has a limit of "things that can grow on it" - and trees and shrubs compete for this when that maximum is reached.* Removing shrubs will allow more trees (and shrubs) to be able to grow. A downside to removing these shrubberies is that most of the saplings in the area will be trampled in the process unless they are marked as low-traffic or restricted areas first, a slightly time-consuming process.

(*Tower-caps (and underground shrubs?), on levels below the first "above ground" level, do not seem to count toward this limit.)

Elven Diplomats[edit]

Elven diplomats eventually come to talk about the "tree situation" in your fort. Sometimes the diplomat will arrive and merely complain but most often the diplomat will want to set a limit to the number of trees butchered harvested to feed fuel your earth blighting death machines industry. This quota is based on all the logs you have in your stocks, no matter what the source. It doesn't matter if you have a Tower-cap farm or if you import all your wood; if you have any wood in your stocks, the treehuggers elves will complain.

In version 0.28.181.39a and earlier, trees gained names near elven settlements. It is unclear what effect this had on gameplay, if any at all.

List of Trees[edit]

Above-ground trees marked as "Wet" will only grow within 2 tiles of a natural River or Murky Pool, while those marked as "Dry" will only grow if there is no river/pool within that range.

Tree Name Tile Biome / Habitat Alignment Deciduous Density (g/cm3) "Likes them for their..."
Acacia Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forest
Tropical Grassland
Tropical Savanna
Tropical Shrubland
All (Dry) No 500 thorns
Alder Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest All (Dry) Yes 410 catkins
autumn coloration
Ash Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest All (Dry) 620 flying keys
autumn coloration
Birch Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest All (Dry) Yes 670 catkins
silver bark
autumn coloration
Cacao tree Γ Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest All (Dry) No 500 flowers
Candlenut Γ Any Tropical Forest All (Dry) No 500 nuts
Cedar Temperate Conifer Forest
Tropical Conifer Forest
All (Dry) No 380 majesty
Chestnut Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest All (Dry) Yes 500 smelly catkins
spiny pods
chestnuts
autumn coloration
Feather tree Not Freezing Good (Dry) No 100 feathery leaves
Glumprong Not Freezing Evil (Dry) No 1200 living shadows
Highwood Not Freezing Savage (Dry) No 500 magnificence
Larch Taiga Forest
Temperate Conifer Forest
All (Dry) Yes 590 cones
needles
Mango tree Γ Any Tropical Forest All (Dry) No 500 sweet-smelling flowers
Kapok Γ Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest All (Dry) No 500 buttresses
Mahogany Any Tropical Forest All (Dry) No 600 loose inflorescences
Maple Temperate Broadleaf Forest
Temperate Grassland
Temperate Savanna
Temperate Shrubland
All (Dry) Yes 755 autumn coloration
Oak Any Temperate Broadleaf Forest All (Dry) Yes 700 acorns
autumn coloration
Palm Γ Any Tropical All (Dry) No 500 leaves
Pine Taiga Forest
Temperate Conifer Forest
Tropical Conifer Forest
All (Dry) No 560 cones
needles
Rubber tree Γ Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest All (Dry) No 500 branch shedding
Saguaro Any Desert All (Dry) No 500 amazing arms
Mangrove Mangrove Swamp All (Wet) No 500 roots
Tower-cap *Subterranean SPECIAL* All No 600 great size
Willow Any Temperate
Any Tropical Forest
Tropical Grassland
Tropical Savanna
Tropical Shrubland

Tropical Freshwater Swamp
Tropical Saltwater Swamp
Tropical Freshwater Marsh
Tropical Saltwater Marsh
All (Wet) No 420 sad appearance
fluffy catkins
Surface
Subterranean
Surface
AcaciaAlderAshBirchCacao treeCandlenutCedarChestnutFeather treeGlumprongHighwoodKapokLarchMahoganyMango treeMangroveMapleOakPalmPineRubber treeSaguaroWillow
Subterranean