Mary Allen
A deciduous tree is a tree that does not have needles, only leaves. The leaves of trees and shrubs are also called foliage. A deciduous tree is a so-called flowering plant: the seeds grow in grains or fruits.
In Europe and other parts of the world where it is neither too cold nor too hot, deciduous trees lose their foliage in winter. So our deciduous trees are normally “deciduous”. The leaves fall off in autumn. This way the tree loses less water.
A forest with nothing but deciduous trees is a deciduous forest. In some forests, there are deciduous trees and conifers, which is then a mixed forest. But you can also say mixed deciduous forest, which is a forest with different types of deciduous trees. A forest of coniferous trees is a coniferous forest.
Which type of tree has the most trees?
About a hundred and fifty years ago, forests consisted of two-thirds deciduous trees and one-third coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. Beech was the deciduous tree in the first place, followed by oak. Since people have been cultivating the forests more and planting trees themselves, it has been exactly the opposite: there are twice as many conifers as deciduous trees because you can earn more money with conifers.
The deciduous trees are therefore on the verge of disappearing in our lowlands. However, researchers say this will change again: Due to the warming of the climate, the conifers have a harder time and they are more likely to thrive in higher areas. This frees up more space for conifers at the bottom.
The list of the most common trees in Germany today looks like this: maple, apple tree, birch, pear tree, beech, mountain ash (this is the rowan berry), yew, oak, alder, ash, hornbeam, hazel, chestnut, cherry tree, lime tree, poplar.