Trees

Trees are the largest plants in Terraria, appearing only at the surface and often in clusters with similar height. Trees can be chopped down with an axe or explosives. Destroying or chopping a tree will yield many units of wood, an essential crafting material, and give a chance of dropping one or more acorns that can be planted to grow more trees. Larger trees will yield more of these two materials when removed.

It is possible to cut off parts of the tree, but cutting at the lowermost center tile will destroy the entire tree. If parts of the tree are left, they will not regrow. A faster but more dangerous alternative to cutting down trees is placing a bucket of lava at the very base and picking it back up immediately. Another way is placing around some Bombs between two or three trees.

Tiles beneath trees cannot be destroyed while the tree stands.

The amount of wood and acorns obtained from a tree depends on its size. One unit of wood will drop for each block of tree (including branches). One acorn will drop for each leaf patch, excluding the top patch of leaves.

Trees as obstacles
Trees are background objects that do not affect player or monster movement.

Trees cannot be climbed or scaled with items such as a grappling hook, nor can blocks of dirt or other walk-on surfaces be placed to overlap their limbs or foliage. It can sometimes be necessary to chop down a tree that is next to a cavern entrance or cliff in the early game in order to replace it with a ladder of blocks that will allow scaling of the steep surface; this becomes unnecessary when the player obtains a grappling hook or other item that allows improved jumping or flying.

Trees must be removed when building houses that overlap the space they cover or when digging up from underground to exit to the surface.

Growing conditions
Planting an acorn in grass will create a Sapling that will eventually grow into a tree of a random size and shape. Saplings can only grow under the following conditions:


 * 1) A planted acorn can only be planted on a dirt block covered with grass or hallow grass, or on snow.
 * 2) The acorn requires one space of open ground to either side.
 * 3) There must be at least two open tiles between saplings or only one will grow into a tree. This matches the previous rule, i.e. each acorn needs both adjacent tiles free, which means the closest two trees can be is with 2 tiles between them.
 * 4) The acorn requires at least 32 feet (i.e. 16 tiles) of vertical clearance to grow into a tree.
 * 5) An acorn will not grow indoors - all background walls or overhanging ledges must be removed, and if you have a ceiling it must be at least 32 feet above the block where the acorn was planted as measured by a depth meter (e.g, if you are planting an acorn at 321 feet above, there may only be blocks at 353 feet or higher directly above it in order for it to grow into a tree).
 * 6) Acorns will not grow in the presence of torches, wood platforms or sunflowers within its 2-block radius.
 * 7) Saplings must be off-screen in order to become trees. They will not grow when currently in view, unlike most other plants which can spawn while you watch.

Saplings can be destroyed with a Pickaxe.

Corrupt trees
Corrupt trees are purple trees only found where there is Corruption. They behave like normal trees, dropping regular wood but no acorns. Normal trees become corrupted if corruption reaches them. It is possible to convert them into normal trees again by using Purification Powder on them.

Corrupt trees cannot be planted, however it is possible to clean a little spot of Corruption, plant and grow a normal tree, then let Corruption spread again. This should be done with care, since saplings are destroyed if they are reached by Corruption.

In 1.2 Corrupt trees drop Ebonwood, which can be used to create Iron strength tools, as well as Ebonwood furniture and workbenches. Corrupt trees might now be called Ebonwood trees, and it is as of yet untested if they can be planted and drop acorns.

Jungle trees
Jungle trees are darker green, wider trees only found in the jungle. They spawn randomly on jungle grass wide enough for a tree to grow on, and may also spawn under water. Jungle trees drop wood like normal trees do, but like corrupt trees will not drop any acorns. Jungle trees also grow higher than normal trees: up to 21 blocks.

In hardmode, Corruption spreads through mud, replacing it with dirt, and jungle trees turn into corrupt trees. Sadly, because cleaning Corruption will turn a corrupt tree into a normal tree, jungle trees are lost forever when they become corrupt.

Hallow trees
Trees found in the Hallow have a taller and triangle-shaped foliage, and exist in many different colors: blue, red, light green, cyan, magenta, yellow and purple. Normal trees turn into hallow trees when the Hallow reaches them. Unlike jungle trees, hallow trees can be planted, and drop acorns when chopped down.

Snowy trees
Snowy trees are only found in the Snow biome. They can be chopped down with an axe for wood and planted by placing acorns on snow, but will not drop acorns when chopped.

In 1.2 Snowy trees can drop acorns.