Early growth differences help explain which beech trees survive forest competition

The fight for survival in the forest is fierce: light, water and nutrients are all limited. This is particularly true in "mast years", times when trees and shrubs produce an unusually large crop of fruits, nuts or seeds. Then the race for growth is on. But can differences in height between trees in their first year of life make a difference to their future, even if these differences are just one or two centimeters (0.4 or 0.8 inches)?