Abies alba - game bite (4804' N 1553' E)

Description:

2010-11-14 Lower Austria, district Sankt Plten Land, bordering on district Baden (beech-fir-forest, 760 m AMSL).Due to game bite, fir trees are at a huge disadvantage in many Austrian forests where game population is higher than could be sustained by natural resources (it is kept high on purpose by foresters and hunters) - because even though deer also likes buds of beeches they love fir.For this reason young firs often have to struggle to grow to sizeable heights, and after them beeches are the ones which are second-worst off, while spruce is avoided by deer so long as more delicate buds are available.I've counted 6 years on this one at least, possibly even 7 years: so this tree is 6-7 years old - 8 years rather (see note by Sciadopitys) - , and could easily be half a metre tall, or taller depending on weather/climate and soil, while as it is it measures only about 10 centimetres. What more, this tree of course never will grow to have an 'ordinary' fir stem but always will remain a cripple, however tall it ever will grow - but see remark by Sciadopitys: it might still grow to normal size and shape. German name: Weiss-Tanne (Abies alba)Other species shown in the photo: some (green) leaves of Cyclamen purpurascens, and then the shed leaves of Fagus sylvatica which is the dominant tree species thereabouts.