High vitality- lots of growth and good overall health
Close to 100% living tissue
Mature Stage
Tree reaches full size
Food produced by leaves remains stable
Growth slows and top growth spreads outward more than upward
Tips grow more laterally than vertically
Onset of natural loss of limbs
Increase in dysfunctional tissues
Decaying wood present caused by fungal growth or under sunken spots
Fifty percent or less dynamic mass
Veteran Stage
Crown dieback
Branch loss
Damage and decay to stems and roots
Slow or no growth
Low energy due to leaf area and health decline
Terminal decline leading to eventual death
For trees with strong defense systems the veteran age may be the longest stage while more fast growth trees can go from veteran to dead in a matter of just a few years. The best way to assure the longest lifespan for any tree is to keep it well watered, fertilized and pest free and of course to have originally planted it in an environment where it was meant to exist.
The shortest lifespan for a tree comes when you do the opposite of all of these things. A shortened lifespan is also frequently exacerbated by poor care resulting from tree service providers who dont understand how to evaluate a tree for care and make unhealthy decisions regarding limbing or crowning the tree.