Tree

xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼

v50.14 · v0.47.05 This article is about the current version of DF. Note that some content may still need to be updated. More Info · V

"Tree" in other Languages Dwarven: dák Elven: thelire Goblin: tonspe Human: akan

Trees are a multi-tile feature that can be found aboveground on all but the most arid or mountainous of maps, and below ground in the caverns. The types of trees that grow in a given location depend on that location's biome, as different species prefer different conditions. For example, tropical areas often have palm trees, while colder areas feature pines. Underground trees such as nether-caps are an exception, as they will grow anywhere underground. The species of a tree in turn determines its properties, including its structure, the color and density of its wood and what kind of growths it produces. Note also that "trees" in Dwarf Fortress also covers things that are not actually trees, such as palms, cacti, large herbaceous plants (e.g. bananas), and large mushrooms (underground trees).

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.

Beautiful, until turned into tables. Then they're even more beautiful.

Structure

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.

Graphically, vertical 1×1 trunk sections resemble wooden columns O. The thicker trunks (2×2 and 3×3) are represented by rounded double-line structures. Above the first ground level the trunk may branch out, producing horizontal trunk sections that resemble wooden walls ║. These can peter out into thick branches │ or end directly with branches ¼. The branches can extend further out, ending with twigs ;. A vertical trunk end, if not covered with a branch, is represented by a pointed cap ⌂.

Root tiles (¼) 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. Saguaros 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 climbed 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 channeling or the creation of walls and other constructions on their tiles. This is problematic for caravan wagons, 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 depot access (D) every once in a while as trees continue to grow to make sure wagons can get through, and chop down (d-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.

• Heights of a tree
• 

  1 level below ground: roots in a Red sand wall on the side of a hill

• 

  Ground level: trunk

• 

  1 level above ground, trunk, branches and twigs

• 

  2 levels above ground

• 

  3 levels above ground, includes some Open Space

• 

  4 levels above ground

• 

  5 levels above ground

• 

  6 levels above ground

• 

  7 levels above ground, only Open Space

Growths

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.

The leaves of deciduous trees change color in the autumn, fall before the winter and grow back in the spring. Fallen leaves will color the tiles beneath their trees, turning the forest floor into colorful patchwork.

Trees of fruit-producing species usually grow flowers in spring and fruit later in the year. Flowers will fall in a cloud during the transition from flowers to fruit; the cloud is shown falling, and looking at the ground after that will show "<tree> flowers" in addition to other tile contents. Both flowers and fruit appear and fall at set times through the year, so it's possible that a young tree that has never flowered will give fruit.

Fruit can be picked from trees in Adventure mode. Fortress mode harvesting is done with a stepladder (as long as the fruit-bearing tree is within a plant gathering zone) or by collecting fallen fruits. Fruit can be brewed at a still. Cutting a tree with fruit causes the fruits to vanish^[Verify].

If a tree is set on fire in fortress mode and is described as 'dead' when examined, it will eventually rejuvenate itself and come back alive after a few years, starting from the trunk and leading out into the branches if left alone.

Chopping down trees

Trees can be cut down by dwarves to produce wood. It is enough to designate only one trunk tile for cutting to chop down the whole tree it belongs to. Any trunk tile will do, even those that are above ground, or even a single tile of a multi-tile trunk. As a result, it's impossible to "prune" trees by chopping down only parts of them.

Once a woodcutter is done with the first tile, the tree instantly converts to a number of free-floating logs that fall to the ground in a direction away from the cutter. Cutting a tree from a trunk section above ground level may result in the woodcutter losing their footing and crashing to the ground (similar to having a tile deconstructed under their feet).

If you dug the tile below the trunk before cutting the tree, it will leave a hole to the surface, potentially allowing dangerous creatures to path into your underground fort. Avoid digging directly below one z-level in wooded areas before clearing out the trees, and make sure to check for open floor spaces · on the surface afterwards. If holes are present, construct floor tiles over the holes, which will prevent creatures from moving below. Constructing a wall below the open floor will work as well. Unexplained underground logs can alert you to the presence of these "guest entrances". Moving a building preview all around the surface (kennels are good for their size) and inspecting any non-ramp or tree invalid tiles can sweep large areas.

If you had smoothed the wall below the trunk and then cut down the tree, it will leave an open floor above the smoothed wall, unlike constructed walls (see this diagram for a visual illustration). If there is an open space adjacent to the smoothed wall, creatures can diagonally move below the adjacent space (by swimming, flying, or climbing) from the open floor above. Such occurrences should be uncommon, as it requires the tile below the tree to be made of stone (so it can be smoothed), and occur mainly in mountain biomes and areas affected by erosion.

Products

Wood

One of the variations between the different tree species is in the weight and color of their wood. Weight is often a minor concern but when using wood to create objects that will be moved, such as bins or buckets, choosing lighter wood is an advantage as it will be hauled faster. Heavier wood will make wooden weapons and siege engine projectiles more effective, while lighter wooden shields reduce penalties to speed while blocking just as well as heavier shields.

Nonetheless, all types of wood have the same (low) value (beyond the preferences of individual dwarves), although the color of the wood may matter for aesthetic purposes.

Fruit

Various kinds of tree produce fruit. In dwarf fortress mode, they can be gathered with a stepladder in a designated plant gathering zone, and elves will also bring fruit to trade. Fruit can be eaten, producing seeds.

Growing trees

From the time a sapling appears, it takes about 3 years for a tree to grow. From that point on, trees grow only once every 10 years, as defined by the TRUNK_PERIOD tag. Currently, all trees share the same 10-year value for trunk growth. Presumably this will be changed in the future to reflect accurate growth rates for different species. Given this disparity in growth times, it's far more efficient to cut down trees as they grow rather than attempting to let them grow to a larger/full size. Growing a full-sized tree will take around 80 years; well beyond the lifespan of most forts.

Trees grow from saplings, which start growing randomly on non-occupied tiles of a suitable biome; thus chopping down a forest may create a clearing, but within a couple of years a new forest will have grown. Saplings can be killed by heavy foot traffic, but not by flooding — they can survive submergence for extended periods of time and will still grow to maturity once the water level drops to 4/7^[Verify] or lower. Dead saplings will remain for some seasons, and then disappear, more quickly if heavy traffic tramples them away. Many underground trees are called "young <tree>" instead of sapling, but the concept is the same. 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 1 Z-level beneath them (currently observed to be at least one unmined tile within a two-tile radius); underground trees not only ignore this restriction for dry subterranean soil but will also grow on muddy subterranean stone. Additionally, saplings on soil cavern floors will block the construction of farm plots unless there is also a dusting or pile of mud beneath them.

Trees cannot be specifically "planted" (as of yet); 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) It is possible to farm trees by walling off or engineering a patch of soil and locking it away so your dwarves don't trample all over it, but it will take a long time for the farm to yield results. After you expose the caverns, subterranean flora (including trees) will begin to grow on any exposed, previously-bare soil within your fortress; this can be annoying when a copse of blood thorns suddenly appears in your sand collection area, but allows you to easily mine out large subterranean tree farms full of colorful subterranean trees.

If a sapling grows into a tree, it can block off narrow areas, such as one-tile-long hallways in a muddy cavern layer. This can cause dwarves to take longer alternate routes to perform their jobs, or entrap them entirely.

Aboveground trees

Most of them bear fruits and nuts, which can be harvested for food and drinks.

Map Tile	Graphic (Trunk)	Name	Deciduous	Biome	Align	Tiles	Wood Density (g/cm³)	Drink	Drink Value1	Eat	Cook2	Growths
Γ	None	Abaca3	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O⌂ trunk ¼ roots	—	None	—	No	No	♠ leaf ♣ flower
♠	None	Acacia	No	Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forest Tropical Grassland Tropical Savanna Tropical Shrubland Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.600	None	—	No	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % seed pod
Γ	None	Avocado	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.540	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Banana3	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O⌂ trunk ¼ roots	—	Banana beer	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Bitter orange	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.590	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Cacao tree	No	Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.430	None	—	No	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Candlenut	No	Any Tropical Forest Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.140	None	—	No	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower • nut
Γ	None	Carambola	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.550	Carambola wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Cashew	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.450	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Citron	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.700	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Coconut palm	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O⌂ trunk ¼ roots	0.680	None	—	Yes	Yes	* leaf ♣ spathe • fruit
♠	None	Coffee	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.620	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Custard-apple	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.360	Custard-apple cider	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Date palm	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O⌂ trunk ¼ roots	0.820	Date wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	* leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Desert lime	No	Tropical Grassland Tropical Savanna Tropical Shrubland Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.590	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Durian	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.520	Durian wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Finger lime	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.590	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Guava	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.610	Guava wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Kapok	No	Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.260	None	—	No	No	♠ leaf ♣ flower • fruit
♠	None	Kumquat	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.590	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Lime	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.590	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Lychee	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.880	Lychee wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Macadamia	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.705	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % nut
♠	None	Mahogany	No	Any Tropical Forest Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.600	None	—	No	No	♠ leaf ♣ flower • fruit
Γ	None	Mango tree	No	Any Tropical Forest Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.520	Mango wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower • fruit
♠	None	Olive	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.990	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Orange	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.590	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Papaya	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.130	Papaya wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Paradise nut	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.820	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Pomelo	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.590	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Rambutan	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.620	Rambutan wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Round lime	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.590	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Rubber tree	No	Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.490	None	—	No	No	♠ leaf
♣	None	Tea	No	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.560	None	—	No	No	♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
Γ	None	Pomegranate	Yes	Any Tropical Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.770	Pomegranate wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠♠♠♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♣	None	Mangrove	No	Mangrove Swamp Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.830	None	—	No	No	♠ leaf ♣ flower • fruit
↨	None	Cedar	No	Temperate Coniferous Forest Tropical Coniferous Forest Wet Dry	All	O⌂ trunk ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.570	None	—	No	No	* scale-leaf * seed cone * pollen cone
♣	None	Feather tree	No	Not Freezing Wet Dry	Good	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.100	None	—	No	Yes	♠ down % egg
┤	None	Glumprong	No	Not Freezing Wet Dry	Evil	O═⌂ trunk ¼ roots	1.200	None	—	No	No	None
¶	None	Highwood	No	Not Freezing Wet Dry	Savage	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.500	None	—	No	No	♠ leaf ♣ flower
╞	None	Saguaro	No	Any Desert Wet Dry	All	O⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ roots	0.430	None	—	Yes	Yes	♣ flower • fruit
⌠	None	Willow	No	Any Temperate Any Tropical Forest Tropical Grassland Tropical Savanna Tropical Shrubland Tropical Freshwater Swamp Tropical Saltwater Swamp Tropical Freshwater Marsh Tropical Saltwater Marsh Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.390	None	—	No	No	♠ leaf * pollen catkin * seed catkin * fruit
♣	None	Alder	Yes	Any Temperate Broadleaf Wet Dry	All	O⌂ trunk ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.410	None	—	No	No	♠♠♠♠ leaf * pollen catkin * seed catkin * cone
♠	None	Almond	Yes	Any Temperate Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.795	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠♠♠♠ leaf ♣ flower % nut
♣	None	Apple	Yes	Any Temperate Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.745	Apple cider	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠♠♠♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♣	None	Apricot	Yes	Any Temperate Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.745	Apricot wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠♠♠♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Ash	Yes	Any Temperate Broadleaf Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.600	None	—	No	No	♠♠♠♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♣	None	Birch	Yes	Any Temperate Broadleaf Wet Dry	All	O⌂ trunk ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.650	None	—	No	No	♠♠♠♠ leaf * pollen catkin * seed catkin
♣	None	Cherry	Yes	Any Temperate Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.425	Cherry wine	10☼	Yes	Yes	♠♠♠♠ leaf ♣ flower % fruit
♠	None	Chestnut	Yes	Any Temperate Broadleaf Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.430	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠♠♠♠ leaf * pollen catkin * seed catkin * burr
↑	None	Ginkgo	Yes	Any Temperate Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.450	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠♠♠♠ leaf * pollen catkin % seed
♠	None	Hazel	Yes	Any Temperate Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.500	None	—	Yes	Yes	♠♠♠♠ leaf * pollen catkin % nut
♣	None	Maple	Yes	Temperate Broadleaf Forest Temperate Grassland Temperate Savanna Temperate Shrubland Wet Dry	All	O═⌂ trunk ─ thick branches ¼ branches ; twigs ¼ roots	0.540	None	—	No	No	♠♠♠♠ leaf ♣ flower