Why is it possible to lay a hedge? In other words, why did trees evolve to survive the mangling that traditional hedgelayers inflict on them? They almost sever the living wood, twist it, split it and trample it down. Yet the trees bounce back, as lively as before.Why do most deciduous trees in Britain and Europe coppice and pollard - resprout from wherever the trunk is broken? Why do birch trees have black-and-white bark? Why do understorey trees, like box, holly and yew, have tougher roots and branches than bigcanopy trees, such as oak, beech and lime, though they carry less weight and are subject to lower shear forces from the wind? I believethat all of these questions have one answer: elephants.
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