canopy or mind the gap

Kottke introduces us to a growth pattern that some types of trees display called crown shyness that will have us looking up. Why and how the trees stop short of touching each other is somewhat a mystery and it can happen in stands of trees that are the same and different species, but botanists suggest it might be a defence mechanism to prevent the spread of pests, wind-abrasion or perhaps just out of respect for personal space.