timberline

[tim-ber-lahyn]

noun

1. the altitude above sea level at which timber ceases to grow.

2. the Arctic or Antarctic limit of tree growth.

timberline

/ ˈtɪmbəˌlaɪn /

noun

1. the altitudinal or latitudinal limit of normal tree growth See also tree line

timberline

1. A geographic boundary beyond which trees cannot grow. On the Earth as a whole, the timberline is the northernmost or southernmost latitude at which trees can survive; in a mountainous region, it is the highest elevation at which trees can survive.

2. Also called tree line

Word History and Origins

Origin of timberline¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; timber + line ¹

Example Sentences

Found from the coast to the timberline, blueberries are in the same family as the huckleberry.

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State Parks and Recreation Director Cody Schulz said the campground will be built on former agricultural land on the gorge’s timberline.

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The Polar Star Inn is just below timberline on the west side of New York Mountain.

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The portrait of Sessions is of a man for whom merely ordering lunch seems to be above the timberline of his intellect and curiosity.

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Hood to Coast is a 35-leg relay that starts at the timberline Lodge on Mount Hood and ends at the coast in Seaside.

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