L

Lateral – A branch or twig growing from a parent branch or stem in a horizontal direction from the parent stem.

Leader – A dominant upright stem, usually the main trunk.

Lean – Departure from the vertical of the stem, beginning at or near the base of the trunk.

Limb – Same as branch, but usually larger and more prominent.

Lion Tailing – The improper practice of removing all or most secondary and tertiary branches from the interior portion of the crown, leaving most live foliage at the edge of the canopy.

Live Crown Ratio – The relative proportion of green crown to overall tree height. Live crown ratio is the ratio of percentage of foliage compared to a tree of the same species with a full crown.

Loam – A soil texture classification having less than half as much clay as sand or silt and that combines the desirable attributes of each particle size; considered the ideal soil texture for most plants.