In article ,
Brian wrote:
Hazel wrote:

I have seen a hazel wood, the hazels are growing as tree's rather than
shrubs. How are they made this way as they are normally shrubs ?

Hazels are trees and can grow to around 10 metres
(http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.hazel.html). The ones you see as
bushes are like that as they are usually coppiced.

This is a FAQ, but nobody has got around to writing it up.
There is no hard difference between trees and shrubs, and many
plants (like hazel and bay) are naturally "multi-stemmed trees".
At the other extreme, you get shrubs like butcher's broom,
periwinkle and brambles, which verge towards the herbaceous.

But back to hazel. It will typically grow, initially, with a
single stem. But it will also sucker, especially when the main
stem(s) are cut back. If there is enough light low down, those
suckers will form into separate stems; if not, it may continue
with a single stem. Coppicing will cause suckering, but most
hazel plants will develop multiple stems naturally.

So the answer is the combination of the plant having an established
stem and the lack of light under the canopy means that the secondary
stems do not develop.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.