Yes, I noticed that. That's why I thought it might be some sort of chemical intrusion, especially considering how it continues through several years growth. Do the ghost rings go clear around or just on one side? If the latter, might it be the same side on all the trees?There were 3 of them, all within 20 ft of each other. Interesting story about Dr. Shigo. Dendrochronology is something I want to explore. The thing that interests me the most about those ghost rings is they do not emulate the growth rings of the tree. But they seem to have a pattern, sometimes bisecting several years of growth rings.