Tree

File:Trees.jpg

An assortment of trees

Trees are a type of plant that has leaves and a trunk. They are a good source for wood, sticks, and for most, fruit. They provide no protection from the weather. Multiple trees in an area may be considered a forest.

Appearance

All trees have distinct patterns for their trunk and leaves, making them easier to identify. The trunk is a vertical series of brown to gray blocks that can be walked in front of. Trunks connect to the ground and have no gaps.

Leaves are usually some shade of green and formed in an open pattern. Some trees have leaves that change color as they go through the seasons, particularly those native to temperate regions. While a leaf pattern may overlay one or more segments of a tree's trunk, they are still considered part of the trunk.

Maple and pine trees tend to grow the tallest.

Farming

Trees spawn when certain types of fruit or seeds are planted in the right soil. After growing large enough, they will begin producing the same fruit or seed in the proper season, located in front of one of their blocks of leaves. After fruit appears in front of a particular block of leaves, it will appear in front of that block again next growing season (about four days later) for as long as that block exists. As with other plants, trees can spawn spontaneously near another tree of their type.

Fruit or seeds hanging from a tree are added to a Blockhead's Inventory by passing through the space they're in or tapping on them and letting the Blockhead collect them once they're adjacent.

Leaves can be harvested for sticks. When using a machete, three sticks can be harvested from one block. Also note the details of tree growth below.

Trunks can be harvested for wood. When using an axe, three wood can be harvested from one block.

Life Cycle

Trees spawn as one or more blocks of leaves on top of dirt. Removing those leaves kills the tree. As the tree grows, trunk blocks will spawn in a continuous column, usually one at a time. Leaves may spawn above and often out to the sides, but may also despawn on the sides or bottom, dropping anything attached to them and occasional sticks. If a tree has had leaves harvested, they may be replaced during its next growth.

Existing blocks (including leaves from nearby trees) may interfere with growth, both height and width. A young tree growing up into an older, taller one may force the despawning of leaves.

All trees will eventually die and despawn. A dead tree will have its leaves change to a pattern of sparse, irregular black lines and its trunk to smoothly blended browns in vertical stripes. It will then begin despawning from the top down a layer at a time. Most objects suspended on the tree will fall to the ground as their layer despawns. Occasionally despawning leaves will drop sticks and despawning trunks will spawn wood, but this varies based on the type of tree. If a Blockhead is quick enough, they may harvest wood from a dying tree trunk, but sticks cannot be harvested from the leaves of a dying tree.

Tree Genetics

Trees and tree seeds carry two genetic traits, growth rate and maximum height. Every time a tree naturally reproduces or creates a seed, it passes on those traits, but with a slight random variation.

If seeds/fruit are harvested from a tree that is growing faster than normal, and planted, some of them are likely to grow a few trees that grow even faster. Similarly with height, if a tree grows taller before it dies, the seeds from that tree will also grow taller. If wanted, you could breed "dwarf trees" that grow slowly and don't grow nearly as high.

The difference can be significant. A pine tree, for example can have a max height as low as 4 blocks or as high as 27 blocks depending on that gene. For all trees the growth rate can be 6x faster with the growth rate gene at its maximum.

The coffee tree can grow up to 8 blocks high in the right environment with the best genetics, and the taller the tree, the more fruit it can produce. However, in compost, the trees could grow to 1.5x those heights, making the maximum height for a coffee tree in compost 12 blocks tall.

Every tree that is initially spawned has those genes semi-randomly assigned, but seeds received from meditation are always exactly average.

Types of Trees

• Apple Tree
• Cherry Tree
• Coconut Tree (aka Palm Tree)
• Coffee Cherry Tree
• Lime Tree
• Mango Tree
• Maple Tree
• Pine Tree
• Orange Tree

A cactus may be considered a tree for classification purposes, but cannot produce wood and dies differently.

Notes

Occasionally a tree will despawn without dying but not all of its leaves (or trunk) will disappear. This can produce the unusual sight of those blocks suspended in mid-air. If reached (say with ladders), they can be harvested normally.

Gallery

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  Newly dead pine tree

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  Coffee cherry trees being farmed