Important Question

[ATH]

Trail marker trees are not a myth. However...around here, that would mean they are going on 150 years old so they would be giant. There used to be a few that were known to be, but I think they are all dead now.

I do not know Australian history well enough (well...hardly at all) - how old would it have to be to be a trail marker?

having said that, I see plenty of trees like this. As others have said nature causes this plenty of times. Usually a big tree falls on a small tree and bends it over just like it would have been bent by humans for a trail marker.

My vote is for nature unless there is significant evidence to the contrary (like it is along a historic trail, and some 90 year old talks about how grandpa maintained the trail).

 

[Hassan Tariq]

@PJM: Yes, this is why I had asked if someone had seen this in Australia, just to remove significant doubt, since trail marker trees haven't been documented to have occurred in Australia.

Anyways, thanks

I've seen similar trees that I think are naturally caused. However, if there is evidence of historical use as a trail it may be fair to speculate that these were man-made. See also http://www.greatlakestrailtreesociety.org/

In the attached photo it is safe to suspect a natural cause due to the height of the bend.

Thank you. And yeah, that's why I asked whether or not anyone has seen something like that outside of North America, just to remove significant doubt of it being a trail marker. But obviously IF a tree shaped like that can occur by nature outside North America, then it sure can as well in North America.

Can someone perhaps explain how the "knob" that is sticking out to the right would occur by nature? That's one of the key components of the tree. I have attached three more pictures of the tree that may display higher detail. You can see the "knob" more closely in pic2.

 

[BC WetCoast]

I've seen similar growth in trees that were originally growing on nurse logs. The sapling grows in and around an old decaying log or stump. As the log decays farther and essentially disappears, the roots would leave an arch structure. Now if one of the roots was to get broken off, you could end up with a structure like this one. I would say this is a natural occurance.

The bulbs of wood, are the tree's formation of reaction wood to support itself in it's stressed situation.

 

[treesmith]

Trees do funny things seemingly for no reason sometimes. The more time you spend with trees the more of this you'll see. Could be a callused over branch stub or just a patch of random growth like a burr. Definitely a spotted type eucalyptus though

 

[MasterBlaster]

It was not man made. Trees can grow weirdly, plain and simple.

 

[Hassan Tariq]

Trees do funny things seemingly for no reason sometimes. The more time you spend with trees the more of this you'll see. Could be a callused over branch stub or just a patch of random growth like a burr. Definitely a spotted type eucalyptus though

Thank you very much. You are referring to the knob sticking out to the right, correct?

Anyways, to everyone here including treeman, I want to (hopefully) ask my final question. I tried searching this up with no luck. Assuming this tree is caused by nature, how does the junction between the bend and the lower part of the trunk (to the right) come about (i.e. the trunk changing direction at that point)?

I have attached another pic here with an arrow pointing towards this junction to avoid confusion, and to help you understand the question better. I also put an arrow pointing towards the earlier "knob" in case anyone is still interested in answering the previous question about the knob. Again, thank you all for helping.

 

[derwoodii]

its a Cor mac Corymibia macularta http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corymbia_maculata that's suffered some hardship chewed beaten or bit of both. They can respond with amazin methods of reaction wood. It may even be Epicormic or lignotubers growth from a damaged stump that too can be NQR
The knob is maybe / just callous codit wall 4 over a long left over stub
It does very much look like a Sycamore or Plane tree by the bark but all about it is Oz flavored leaves and scrub i not seeing anything north Americana
This idea of trail marking not know to me in OZ,,, a could be but looks to young a tree to be one by our nations natives sign posts.

 

[derwoodii]

where you'd git the picture from may help all of us

your Q on how gotz its bend,,, well heres how some OZ trees can respond to outside influences
It pretty weird down here a reverse Coriolis effect and always upside down dont help

 

[ATH]

Tree was standing straight up.
Tree was bent over (probably by another much larger tree falling on it). That lead to the bend.
The knob pointing to the right used to be the main trunk.
The part going straight up was a branch when it was bent over.
Over the years, the top died (or the part that used to be the top anyhow...) and the branch became convinced it was the supposed to be the central leader.

The "trail marker" trees are the same thing. The only difference how the tree got bent over.

 

[derwoodii]

picture picture files looking,,, hmmm ah here it is,,, have a look at these Angophora costata there's one back over path almost a twisted sister or your pictured tree,,, oh it a Park somewhere out of Sydney OZ

 

[MCW]

Twisted trees, particularly Eucalypts, are certainly not rare in Australia and hardly ever caused by man. Any damage to the growing tip on a tree can fire out lateral shoots and then apical dominance takes over. If you've ever spent time along the Murray River you'll see Red Gums like the tree you pictured all the time. They are not rare.

 

[shootingarts]

I rambled into this forum to read and learn, next thing you know one of those dang newcomers is commenting above his pay grade! Been a member for four years but certainly not a very active one and only my own arborist with the occasional job for family or friend that I can't get out of.

You could make a pretty convincing argument either way depending on the outcome you want but I would say this is over 90% certainly an act of nature unless you find steel in the tree or obvious manmade marks. I have hunted in some woods with dozens of similar trees, obviously not all marking trail. Looking at the size of the trunk and looking at the size of the stub it is very easy to speculate the stub was once the main trunk. A long ago storm or a microburst, amazing gale force winds or higher that appear to blow straight down, forced the tree over past it's ability to bend and it partially split and fell. Picture 040 looks like this happened. Some trees are far more stubborn about living than others and decades later you get something that looks like this. If there is any reason to cut the tree down it would be interesting to section that bigger area where the first bend up from the ground is and see if physical evidence bears out my speculations.

Some possibility it was a dual trunk tree too but I think it looks more like it once split badly and managed to heal itself. Without whittling on the tree, pure speculation on my part and I don't know if whittling would give a solid indication of what happened or not. Most of the time yes but living tissue, animal or plant, can sometimes leave little sign of old injuries.

Anything that was practiced in one part of the colonies was almost certainly practiced to some extent in other colonies. The knowledge pool gets spread around and I remember as late as the fifties and sixties whole families from my small farming community migrating to Australia. While people learn new techniques when they relocate they also tend to do the same thing that has worked for many years. Could use those thoughts to argue that there is at least a chance the tree shape is the result of man's intervention. Not likely, but if all you need is reasonable doubt a well thought out defense of the position it is manmade could probably be presented. Daniel Boone was never lost but he was mislocated for some pretty long periods of time sometimes. He could have passed through there . . . .

A late breaking thought, most of the woods where I saw these types of trees were river bottom where they were subject to being bowed with the force of flood currents and then hit with large pieces of debris like logs and such.

Hu

 

[Hassan Tariq]

Hello, thank you for all of your brilliant answers. Sorry for replying so late, since I was very busy for the past two weeks. I am, however, still curious as to why or how you think the trunk changes its width at the junction circled in the above picture. I will re-post the picture attached here (look at the bottom red arrow) :

 

[MCW]

Trees will change width at injury points due to scarring. No different to us humans getting an injury. If this tree is a Eucalypt (it looks similar but may not be?) then misshapen trunks are actually quite common. The tree you've shown in the picture is actually quite a common sight in Australia, especially in Red Gums along rivers.

 

[derwoodii]

reaction wood is like muscle it added where the need is found by the torsion or twist placed by tree by gravity or wind

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_wood

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-6FMCUS

 

[treesmith]

Saw this today in the local park, it's a spotted gum/corymbia so same species as OP's tree, growing in grass to the side of a baseball field. The branch forks at main stem and goes up then 90°horizontal and then 90°up. There is a dead stick pointing straight up where it right angles horizontal, it about 10-15' off the ground. You can see the shadow of the basic shape in the second picture