timberline
Americannoun
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the altitude above sea level at which timber ceases to grow.
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the Arctic or Antarctic limit of tree growth.
noun
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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.
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Also called tree line
Etymology
Origin of timberline
Explanation
The highest point on a mountain where trees can grow is known as a timberline. Above the timberline, it's much too cold and windy for anything but small, shrubby plants to stay alive. The timberline is sometimes called a "tree line" or "forest line." From far away, this point on a mountain can appear abrupt, but up close it's clear that as the altitude increases, the size and number of trees gradually decreases. Near the timberline, trees become stumpy and more shrub-like. In addition to lower temperatures and gusty winds, there is less air and moisture above the timberline — all factors that make it a hostile environment for trees.
Vocabulary lists containing timberline
Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High School
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Woodsong
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
State Parks and Recreation Director Cody Schulz said the campground will be built on former agricultural land on the gorge’s timberline.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023
The portrait of Sessions is of a man for whom merely ordering lunch seems to be above the timberline of his intellect and curiosity.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2019
Their marriage has “reached the timberline of their affection,” but they don’t notice yet.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2015
I’ve stood at timberline on a volcano that seems made of nothing but rubble and hydrothermally altered rock.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 6, 2012
For the first time since the mountain had started shaking and erupting, land below the timberline was closed.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
