Difference between revisions of "Tree"

{{quality|exceptional}}

 

Trees are used as a source of [[wood]], an essential resource in the game, irreplaceable (or hard to replace) for some applications. Thus, the amount of local trees greatly affects fortress development, as without a ready source of wood, the player will be forced to rely on [[trade]] to get it. Tree growth density on the embark site is determined by its [[biome]], so it's displayed with the rest of the biome properties (temperature, etc.) on the "Choose Fortress Location" screen at [[embark]].

 

[[File:Tree animated.gif|thumb|Animation of all z-levels of an [[Apricot]] tree]]

Trees consist of several types of tiles - '''roots''', '''trunk''' sections, '''thick branches''', '''branches''', and '''twigs''', that may be covered in a number of "growths" (leaves, needles, flowers, fruit, cones, etc.), depending on species and season. A single tree is a structure that can span multiple tiles of each type in both horizontal and vertical directions. For example, a typical deciduous tree will have a single tile-wide trunk at ground level supporting a multiple-level crown of intertwined trunk sections, branches and twigs covered with leaves. Not all species follow the same scheme, though - palms have a high, naked trunk that doesn't branch and just a tuft of leaves on top of it, and some species can have trunks that are thicker than a single tile at ground level. Trees also have an underground system of roots, but there is only one kind of root tile and the extent of the root system doesn't seem to vary with species.

Root tiles ({{tile|¼|6:0}}) overlap a number of underground tiles below each tree. They can be designated for digging, but because they usually use the same brown color as the mining designation rectangle, the designation is not evident (the only exceptions are trees with white roots). Some trees can have multiple tiles of roots, others just the one{{verify}}.

There are exceptions to the description above. [[Saguaro]]s don't have any leafy branches or twigs, just a trunk and thick branches. Mushroom cap trees that grow in the caverns underground don't have branches - instead they have a '''cap'''

consisting of ramps that can be walked up on.

Trees can be [[climb]]ed in both fortress and [[adventurer mode]]. In densely wooded areas, the overlapping tree crowns can form a continuous canopy that can be traversed by walking, climbing and/or jumping. Both thick and regular branches provide a floor-like support for walking. Twigs are too frail to support the weight of a dwarf, but they can be climbed through and jumped over. All kinds of trunk tiles are treated as solid barriers, except trunk tips - they can be climbed through and jumped over like twigs.

On ground level, tree trunks are obstacles that prevent [[channel]]ing or the creation of [[wall]]s and other [[construction]]s on their tiles. This is problematic for caravan [[wagon]]s, which require a path at least three tiles wide in order to access your fortress; on heavily forested maps it may be necessary to check [[trade depot|depot]] access ({{k|D}}) every once in a while as trees continue to grow to make sure wagons can get through, and chop down ({{k|d}}-{{k|t}}) the impeding forest if they can't. Later on this can actually become a blessing, as if there is only one or a few pathways to the fortress it makes it easier to route incoming caravans down certain well-defended pathways, instead of allowing them to choose their own way across the map, where they may fall foul of ambushers or worse. It also makes building above-ground constructions more challenging, as any trees in the way must be chopped down first.

<gallery caption="Heights of a tree" widths="90px" heights="90px" perrow="5">

File:Tree-1.png|1 level below ground: roots in a [[Red sand]] wall on the side of a hill

Growths are the things that grow ''on'' a tree, i.e. they are not an essential part of the tree's structure and can be shed or picked without destroying the tree. This includes leaves, needles, flowers, fruit, seed pods, catkins, cones, etc. Each tree species has at least one type of growth, the most common one unsurprisingly being leaves.