Hardwood Forests vs softwood forests

Calypso Jones wrote:I don't know if i believe this.   When land is being reclaimed by nature...you get those blackberry bushes then in time comes the pine which is a no particularly long term forest...a young forest if you will and then comes the  'hardwood' trees.  

Interesting, I suppose hardwood trees are seeded by passing birds, floods, strorms and the like. Hence they will be planted.
The pine will also be spread by storms and floods ? Not birds.

The man that told us about the hardwoods/softwoods was a tour guide of old age forests.
He also said you can tell an old forest growth on a hilltop from a new forest from afar.
The old forest has broken jagged tops to it. Storms during the decades have passed and snapped off various branches and trunks . He showed us some.

how can the things they teach about old and new forest growth and information be so different then from now?

Calypso Jones wrote:I don't know if i believe this.   When land is being reclaimed by nature...you get those blackberry bushes then in time comes the pine which is a no partiularly long term forrest...a young forrest if you will and then comes the  'hardwood' trees.  

That is correct. A large section of The Pine Barrens, I mentioned, burned in 95. The resulting ash was a good fertilizer and now there are hardwood trees.
There was talk of removing them and replanting the pine, but that idea was scrapped. The local fire departments all prided themselves with their "Brush Trucks" Army surplus 5 tons fitted with tanks or seats for the crews. The scrub pine was no match for these trucks, the trucks were no match for the replacement hardwood trees.

The "forests" surrounding our home must be entirely confused, as they're full of cedar; red, black, and white oak; walnut, dogwood, and all kinds of whatnot.

Are there any forests that stick to one kind of tree? Manmade ones might be, but even they would have to be maintained, in order to push them to grow only one kind of tree. No?

2cent wrote:The "forests" surrounding our home must be entirely confused, as they're full of cedar; red, black, and white oak; walnut, dogwood, and all kinds of whatnot.  

Are there any forests that stick to one kind of tree?  Manmade ones might be, but even they would have to be maintained, in order to push them to grow only one kind of tree.  No?

I think natural forests have a variety of trees in them.
A forest I used to go to in New Zealand had an area that had some Beech trees. That was nice.
They were limited to just one area though.
I guess whatever grows there best will grow.

I find it surprising how old some trees are. 200 years is not a problem.
With us humans, we have a very limited life.