With every spring comes a yellow dust that coats our homes, our cars, and for some, the cause of our seasonal allergies. While this may seem like an annoyance for we humans, for trees it is a crucial springtime ritual. This yellow dust carried by the wind is pollen from trees, and the process we are witnessing is pollination. Pollination is part of the process of plant reproduction. Pollen is the male gene vessel created in the spring with hopes of making contact with other tree’s female receptors. If pollination is successful a tree then begins the next phase of reproduction, inevitably resulting in new seeds, and with it the greater chance of propagation.
Both Individual trees and the trees in a forest all heavily depend on external forces to help them along in pollinating one another. Wind, animals, and insects are all major agents which help transport pollen from one tree to another. In general, forests in the Northeastern part of the United States are made primarily up of mixed species stands with minor components of contiguous single species stands sprinkled throughout. For the predominantly single species stands pollination via wind can be very effective. This is due to the proximity of the common species to one another which creates an environment where a gust of wind can easily pick up pollen from one tree and distribute it to another. But what if we find ourselves in a mixed species stand where common species of trees are further apart? In this diverse ecosystem wind may still prove effective but to a far less degree. Pollination for these trees depends heavily on help from insects and animals, and the help of honeybees.
Honeybees are uniquely adapted for a specific job, which is to find food (pollen) and bring it home. Honeybees, perhaps unaware of their good deeds to all plant life, act as a transportation vessel for pollen of all types. Honeybees, unlike wind or other animals, also tend to carry pollen for longer distances, even several miles, and tend to come in to direct contact with more plant species during their journey. These attributes of honeybees greatly benefit trees that rely on pollination in this way. Healthy and successful pollination plays a large role in maintaining a desirable species composition and promoting healthy forest regeneration.