Not to long ago I post some quick pictures of this old tree in the area that I hike.
Now that the snow is gone, I was able to get some images of how bad the trunk is rotting away
and the steps the tree is creating to survive. Viewed from the main trail the trunk looks
fine but as you walk around it you realize it's half eaten away by rot. There are two , I will call,
above ground roots that have grown and are carrying a huge tensile load keeping the tree up.
The branches are massive and the weight is biased in the righthand direction as seen in the last few photos.
Sooner or later the rotted side of the trunk will buckle and that will be it. Depending on the age it's
been around and 'seen' a lot in it's life.
Lightning
ReplyDeleteThe stories it could tell.
ReplyDelete-lg
When it falls make fire wood, give it a Viking end then take the ashes to a river and scatter them.
ReplyDeleteMix the ashes with animal fat...
DeleteHad a huge wind storm take down 8 trees on my property 4 months ago. Two more down a month ago from the wind.
ReplyDeleteOf course pine trees are more likely to do that.
That first major scar to the right looks like the big limb suffered serious damage in the distant past, grew around it to save it, and now has a immensely complicated grain structure. That would make a wonderful piece for the lathe if it could be harvested. That tree will be mushroom food soon.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the "vein" root would make a fantastically figured stock for a front stuffer. If only he could talk...
ReplyDeleteTom762
I have a Maple about twice as wide with the same affliction. Half of it succumbed to lightning or wind, and the other half is clinging to life. When I first moved here, the dead side was pretty solid. After 22 years, it is getting pretty punky. I am going to move equipment in the side yard so that it doesn't squash something when it finally decides to give up.
ReplyDeleteLeigh
Whitehall, NY