Architecture sets the limit

Why should trees suffer more from cold climate than grasses, dwarf shrubs and herbaceous plants which reach 4000 m in the temperate and up to 6000 m in the subtropical zone?

The answer is simple: Trees are designed to compete for light with neighbours, not to thrive in the cold.

A cold "crown" and cold "feet" is the price to be paid for being a tree in the mountains.

Low vegetation profits from heat capture and heat storage in the soil.

Architecture determines the tree limit at high altitudes.

energy flux
1 - Energy flux in forests and adjacent low stature alpine vegetation in midsummer.