Huge cankers and trunk strength ?

[M.D. Vaden]

Saturday, passed a few old trees in SE Portland that had huge (edited) galls on the trunks - 50% circumference or more.

I can't recall ever seeing a tree break at one of those points.

Anybody know if - in general - cankers would make the trunk weaker?

Stronger? Same?

 

[treeseer]

cankers / galls

Different things--look them up in the ISA dictionary. Cankers are dead spots; always reduce strength. Galls are added tissue--may add strength.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Different things--look them up in the ISA dictionary. Cankers are dead spots; always reduce strength. Galls are added tissue--may add strength.

Then "galls" would be what I meant.

 

[treeseer]

Then "galls" would be what I meant.

Well then it would depend on how much decay was inside. Short answer, I've seen very few stems break at galls. Prunus serotina once or twice, one poplar...generally if the gall disrupts circulation the tree will decline above, taking strain off that "defect". from the attached: Low Risk Conditions
....
• Abnormal swelling of plant tissues--“galls”—in leaves and twigs are seldom a health concern, and never a structural concern. Galls in stems can be inspected for hollow sounds, holes, weeping, and “frass”—material produced by insects. If they are free of these aggravating factors, the galls may be a structural benefit.

Got a camera, Mario?? :greenchainsaw:

 

[(WLL)]

post up a pic. im thinking you are talking about burls, not galls or cankers

 

[jomoco]

I think vaden means trunk and structural wood burls that usually grow round and pumpkin like on major wood.

The two old torrey pines I'm cabling in socal have quite a few of them, and I believe they are fairly benign growths caused by viral mutations of the woods genes in the affected area.

I BELIEVE THEY ARE HIGHLY PRIZED BY WOOD TURNERS AND CARVERS.

jomoco

 

[TDunk]

post up a pic. im thinking you are talking about burls, not galls or cankers

That's what i was thinking of, burls.

 

[(WLL)]

I BELIEVE THEY ARE HIGHLY PRIZED BY WOOD TURNERS AND CARVERS.

jomoco

:agree2: and i am prizes when i find em on a tree marked fer death.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

post up a pic. im thinking you are talking about burls, not galls or cankers

Similar to these ...

 

[TDunk]

Those are what i call a burl.........

 

[lxt]

so what are conks? Ive heard those referred to as such!
one guy told me those make beautiful bowls, pretty woodgrain!


LXT........

 

[TDunk]

so what are conks? Ive heard those referred to as such!
one guy told me those make beautiful bowls, pretty woodgrain!


LXT........

Alot of guys use those for bowls, knife handles, pistol grips etc...... I've heard that the grain is real tight and is pretty strong too.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

so what are conks? Ive heard those referred to as such!
one guy told me those make beautiful bowls, pretty woodgrain!


LXT........

Ganoderma ...

A conk

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Those are what i call a burl.........

This is what I call a burl.

But aren't burls just galls?

 

[M.D. Vaden]

In this image, I've outlined a Burl - the part not covered with soil or needles.

It's about 6 cubic yards for size - about the size of a Saturn Vue.

 

[(WLL)]

galls are from bugs,fungi,or bacteria and burls are a mystery. im sure the top pic is a gall and the maple has a burl

 

[treeseer]

Mario everything you've shown are burls. The difference is clear, and clearly stated here. Anyone who teaches or even talks about tree care should know the difference:

http://www.isa-arbor.com/Dictionary/DictionarySearch.aspx?ID=1

 

[(WLL)]

Mario everything you've shown are burls. The difference is clear, and clearly stated here. Anyone who teaches or even talks about tree care should know the difference:

http://www.isa-arbor.com/Dictionary/DictionarySearch.aspx?ID=1

gulls are ugly and not highly prized by wood workers or carvers. burls are truly beautiful

 

[treeseer]

gulls are ugly

Whaddya mean--some are beautiful, like Jonathan Livingston Seagull for instance.

Now Steven Seagull, that dude IS ugleee.

 

[jomoco]

I took these pics today of the burls on the torrey pine I'm cabling.

Galls and burls are totally different. I believe galls are hollow and caused by an insect. Burls are solid and mysteriously interesting.