No. Moss is not restricted to the north side of trees. Its distribution depends on suitable growing conditions, particularly access to moisture.
The Woodland Trust explains that shade can favour north-facing growth in the Northern Hemisphere, but rain and wind also influence its location. A published account of investigations on American beech trees reports greater moss abundance on the southern side of some leaning trunks, where rainwater flowed downward.
A tendency is not a universal rule. Tree shape and water flow can favour moss on other surfaces, so a patch of moss does not reliably identify north.
Moss follows suitable moisture conditions, not a fixed compass direction.
Woodland Trust
The botanical explainer states that moss does not occur exclusively on the north side of trees and describes moisture, wind and rain as influences on its distribution.
Based on: Woodland Trust
Christopher Dobson, Stephanie Oostdyk and Patricia Radtke
The authors describe investigations in which leaning beech trees on a south-facing slope had more moss on their southern exposure. Rainwater channelled down the trunks helped explain the pattern.
Based on: The Science Teacher
Woodland Trust
In the Northern Hemisphere, north-facing surfaces can provide damp, shaded conditions that favour moss. This tendency does not exclude growth elsewhere.
Based on: The Science Teacher
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