Should I plant some of trees, for example 3 different seedlings all almost in the same place, something similar to how it looks in this natural environment, would it technically be easier for the wind to break the trees at the base?
Or maybe they would all grow too slow due to root entanglement? One can image that could easily happen.

My choice of trees is the same species as in the photos, Alnus glutinosa (common alder, black alder, European alder)

Has anyone deliberately or accidentally done something like that before?

Without being able to examine any of those plants, I would suggest that those trunks close together are sprouts from a common base - not separate plants at all.

This condition often occurs where a parent single trunk has died or been removed - and dormant adventitious buds then sprout to regenerate the plant. After storm damage, animal browsing, human harvesting (like coppicing) - you will find this occurring.

There again, you can try planting multiple seedlings/individual plants side by side. They will eventually increase in diameter and grow against their neighbor. Much like codominant trunks, there will be damage/compromised growing conditions where they collide. This won't kill the plants, but will create a weak or less healthy growing condition. "Tangling" of root systems is the least likely ill effect, but proper full basal flaring and equal rooting attachment for physical stability against winds and other physical forces of nature will be less than what it should be if a single trunk was growing without other trunks crowding it.

Its very common to grow fruit trees 2 or 3 to a hole but they are placed about 18 inches apart in a triangle, not next to each other.

Trees grow roots and canopies based on the trees around them and wind direction. Most of the roots will be upwind and the tops will grow into a single looking canopy. They essentially act as one tree so the danger is losing one of them after they have reached maturity as there will be a hole in the canopy that will change wind dynamics. Lose one, expect to lose more.

Plants like animals are competitive organisms.

As they mature they will compete with each other for resources( space, water, nutrients, light etc.) Chances of losing one or more because of that are not insignificant. If not, speed of growth and health might be impeded.
In the long run, the trunks might grow against each other, splay outward and create deformities/weak spots that might fail down the line.

Short lived species like your Alnus (Betula is another) MIGHT be worth planting in this way since they'll most likely be petering out anyway by the time issues might arise (if they survive each other's competition that is).

But I concur with John on the matter of seeing this in nature.

Interesting posts with useful info and opinions.
Overall it is not the best idea, might even worth not doing it and naturally may not even be more seedlings growing from the same spot.


I see an online business that offers for example Gleditsia 'Sunburst' single stem and multi stem.
I don't actually see an area where there might have been a stump (does not appear to be any short single stem in the ground), they appear quite natural to me.
Since they show large fields of the same stem style I assume the multi-stem trees are achieved by some technique instead of culling?

Trees that aren't grafted will regrow multiple stems when cut off at ground level