Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Tree Burls: Interesting Growths


     Sometimes abnormal growths appears on trees that can be small but grow to large sizes. These growths are referred to as ‘burls’. They are a hardy, woody outgrowth that forms on a tree trunk or branch filled with small knots from dormant buds. They begin as tumors called galls that result from a tree undergoing suffering stress caused by a disease, insect activity or injuries. The cambial growth inside the tree is hyper-stimulated as a way for it to isolate and contain the injury or infection. The wood is almost always covered by bark.  The burl will continue to grow and expand in size as the tree grows and can double in size over time. The trees are weakened but rarely die although they are more susceptible to toppling in windstorms.
     Burlwood is quite expensive and is prized due to the unique shapes and rings that form in them. The wood is used to make furniture, bowls, and other types of sculptures, and is valuable for making veneer.
    Burls are another one of nature’s oddities.

                                      Tree burls form as a result of the tree containing
                                       and isolating a disease area or injury. Photograph
                                       by Timothy Daly, UGA Extension
                                              





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