Today I am studying burls. I’ve seen burls on some of the pine trees on my property, but had never known what caused them or, for that matter, what they were called. After years of ignorance, I finally decided to investigate—online and in the woods.
Burls are like tree goiters—round masses of wood and bark. And, like goiters, they stand out unnaturally, an unpleasant deformity. Almost any time I am out hiking with someone in my prized woods, they invariably ask, with a mixture of curiosity and mild revulsion: ‘What is wrong with your trees?’
Not knowing why the trees are bulbous and distended, I casually shrug my shoulders, though inside I feel a wave of mild embarrassment, as though the burls are growths on my own chin. What is wrong with my trees, anyway?
Well, burls are in fact a sort of deformity, a reaction to stress. Most often they are formed in response to mold or insect infestation—a sort of tree scab. The good news is that, in most cases, burls are merely a cosmetic issue; most trees with burls are otherwise healthy.
The ones in the woods behind my house vary in appearance. Some wrap all the way around the base of the tree, enclosing it like a Christmas tree stand, while others bulge out from one side like a cauliflower ear. The red pines appear to be unaffected; the burls are only apparent on the handful of jack pines. One burl in particular gives me pause. It is one that wraps around the base of the tree. There are two spots where the bark looks split open and wound-like, revealing lighter wood inside. Have deer been scraping their antlers against the burl? Did the pressure build up to the point where it split like a popped balloon? Furthermore—how could I have not noticed this before—the tree is needleless and seemingly dead, as though the burl has already choked the life out it.
Ironically, given their appearance, burls are much coveted by woodworkers due to their (potentially) unique grain. They are considered rare and valuable. Burls are best 'harvested' when the tree is dead, as removing a burl from a live tree is likely to kill it.
Burls are like tree goiters—round masses of wood and bark. And, like goiters, they stand out unnaturally, an unpleasant deformity. Almost any time I am out hiking with someone in my prized woods, they invariably ask, with a mixture of curiosity and mild revulsion: ‘What is wrong with your trees?’
Not knowing why the trees are bulbous and distended, I casually shrug my shoulders, though inside I feel a wave of mild embarrassment, as though the burls are growths on my own chin. What is wrong with my trees, anyway?
Well, burls are in fact a sort of deformity, a reaction to stress. Most often they are formed in response to mold or insect infestation—a sort of tree scab. The good news is that, in most cases, burls are merely a cosmetic issue; most trees with burls are otherwise healthy.
The ones in the woods behind my house vary in appearance. Some wrap all the way around the base of the tree, enclosing it like a Christmas tree stand, while others bulge out from one side like a cauliflower ear. The red pines appear to be unaffected; the burls are only apparent on the handful of jack pines. One burl in particular gives me pause. It is one that wraps around the base of the tree. There are two spots where the bark looks split open and wound-like, revealing lighter wood inside. Have deer been scraping their antlers against the burl? Did the pressure build up to the point where it split like a popped balloon? Furthermore—how could I have not noticed this before—the tree is needleless and seemingly dead, as though the burl has already choked the life out it.
Ironically, given their appearance, burls are much coveted by woodworkers due to their (potentially) unique grain. They are considered rare and valuable. Burls are best 'harvested' when the tree is dead, as removing a burl from a live tree is likely to kill it.
I am struck by my own ignorance. I've walked past those burls hundreds of times without so much as the language to name them. Burls are not goiters after all; they are rare pearls.
1 comment:
Funny, it's never occurred to me either to learn about burls, even though I know that's what they're called. And I remember sequoia/redwood ones being very prized.
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