Are burls a regional phenomenon?

[Toney Robertson]

I read about all of these wonderful burls that people find and in the year that I have been turning I have looked around this area constantly for burls with no joy. I have a couple of tree trimmers looking for them - no joy. My Mom owns about 90 acres of woods and while I have not surveyed all 90 where I have been - you guessed it - no joy.

Is the bacteria or whatever causes these beautiful aberrations regional?

Toney

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Toney....I don't think it's regional......I had a huge one given to me here.

[John Fricke]

Burl wood is a type of fast growing, abnormal growth found on some trees. Burl wood grows because the tree (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-burl-wood.htm#) has experienced some sort of environmental stress or damage. This is often caused by either a fungal attack or an attack by insects.
The number of trees that produce burl wood is quite low. In addition, certain areas tend to create more burl wood than others, because all or many of the trees in a particular location are likely to be attacked by the same fungus or insects. Certain species also tend to be more susceptible to attacks and, therefore, more likely to develop burl wood. For this reason, certain types of burl wood are more rare and prized than others.
Don't go thinking that I'm smarter than I am, I simply cut and pasted from an article.

[John Fricke]

I will say that in the center of that burl I got there was a small worm infested area that was decayed. Was this the start of the burling process? I don't know but seems likely.

[Sean Troy]

What ever you do, don't just cut a burl from a tree. That will kill the tree. Look for downed trees for burls or just harvest the whole tree.

[John Fricke]

A burl is a wartlike, deformed growth on the trunk or root and sometimes even the branches of a tree, caused by (1) an injury to, or (2) and infection in, the tree just under the bark, or (3) the existance of an unformed bud which has all the genetic material necessary to grow a full branch, or even a whole tree, but which for some reason did not grow properly. In any case, the result is that the tree cells divide and grow excessively and unevenly in a process somewhat analogous to cancer cells in a mammal. Burls are sometimes called tumors on wood, although I'm not aware of their ever being fatal. Trees with burls continue to grow otherwise normally.

Continued growth follows the contour of the original deformity, producing all manner of twists, swirls and knots in the wood fiber. Usually, this results in wood that has a spectacular pattern that can be used to great effect in woodworking, and sometimes it is also accompanied by the creation in the burl of dormant buds which create "eyes" that make the burl even more spectacular when worked.

Burls come in all sizes and shapes from golf-ball and smaller to hundreds of pounds of massive growth on the side of a large tree. Burls as large as 4 feet by 8 feet have been reported as have trees with hundreds of small burls. On really large trees, such as the redwood, burls commonly exist that are large enough to be used to create veneer. Burl veneer frequently does not stay flat after cutting and has to be moistened and clampled flat before and/or during application.

"Cat's Paw" and "cluster burl" are a couple of commonly identifed types of burl figure. Cat's paw is frequently found in cherry and cluster burls are found in a number of species. Most often, burls have no sub-designation and occur in a large number of species. Common burl species include redwood, oak, ash, maple, madrone, elm and walnut. Some exotics with very popular burls are mappa (poplar burl), thuya and imbuya, and there are MANY more.

[curtis rosche]

it is regional. my area has hundreds of burls. other places i have been have none. costal areas where it is cold get burls, those have very different colors than usual burls. i think it also has to do with the time period. there are lots of historical trees in my area that are covered with burls, and no trees under 50yrs that have them. some areas i have been old trees are clean and young trees have tons of burl. it depends on the area. and i think that some of the things that form them travel over the years.

[Toney Robertson]

John,

Thanks for the research.

Toney

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Curtis,

I think it's a just a natural event that can happen anywhere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl

[Robert McGowen]

Warning - thread hijack to follow. I have been trying to locate a red mallee burl. Most websites seem to be way out of date. Anyone have a supplier that I could order from, hopefully a website. I have searched, but the same couple of out of date sites are the only ones that I find.

[Harvey Mushman]

Warning - thread hijack to follow. I have been trying to locate a red mallee burl. Most websites seem to be way out of date. Anyone have a supplier that I could order from, hopefully a website. I have searched, but the same couple of out of date sites are the only ones that I find.

PM sent...............

[alex carey]

I don't know if its regional but on my drive to school everyday I see about 100 burls. Sometimes several on each tree. I don't know what they are perhaps ill take a picture one day. I wish I could just pull out my chainsaw.

[curtis rosche]

it can happen anywhere but it is more popular in some places. just like you chances of getting shot or mugged are higher in the city, but it can happen anywhere. the conditions in some spots are just really prone to burls. i have also found that with the hiking and camping i have done across PA that areas where it has been logged out in the last 50 years, dont seem to have many burls if any. but areas where there are older trees seem to have more.

if Alex and i both see loads of burls every day and Toney doesnt see any on 90 acres they must be a somewhat regional occurance

[Jeff Nicol]

I have cut small burls off of tree with out killing them. If it is around the whole trunk then it will kill it. Many burls will grow on limbs and out of broken limbs whe the tree repairs itself. In Australia many of the burls are cut off the tree and the tree lives on to create another burl. So some knowledge goes a long way in harvesting any wood, all woodlots need thinning and harvesting to keep the wood lot healthy and growing quality trees. The burls are considered junk when the lumber companies come in and harvest timber so they just get left in the woods or one the landing for the owner to get rid off. My cousin is having 57 acres select cut and there will be a ton of burls left for me. I talked to the logger and he is going to bring them all up to the landing for me and I can haul them away when I need to!!

Curtis, I have been all over the world and there are burls every where, some places have more than others. A burl can be very small and not seen from the ground. Some of the burls may be 50 to 60 feet in the air, also some oaks and other trees have burls grow underground.

Expierience is the best teacher.......

Good luck with burls and if anyone wants to get some from me send me a PM and we can work some thing out.

Jeff

[steven carter]

Toney,


I don't life very far from you, I'm in Liberty Indiana just 15 miles south or Richmond. I do a lot of hiking in the area, Whitewater State Park, Brookville Recreation area, and I have seen quite a few burls. Nearby in Oxford Ohio, home of my alma mater, Miami University, a couple of weeks ago I was hiking on one of the college trails and saw an oak burl that must have been ten feet from top to bottom, and 15 feet across. Keep looking, you will find them, unfortunately for me the ones I find are protected:confused:.

Steve

[Toney Robertson]

Oh come on Steven, a chain saw, some flashlights, a backhoe and a couple of guys that will work for beer and that large oak burl can be yours!! :D

I will obviously keep looking and hope I find one 1/10 the size of that one.

Toney

[Jack Mincey]

I have to agree with what John posted. The two area's I tend to find most of the burls around here are near water such as along streams or high elevations say over 4500 feet When I find one there are almost always another one or two close by. This leads me to beleave that a fungus causes a lot of them as well as insects. At high elevations the tree may freeze with the sap up and cause stress that causes burls to form. One thing I do know is if the burl goes all the way around the tree it will not live long. This must restrict the flow of sap up the tree and the top will soon die, followed by the rest of the tree. It hurts to see these beautiful burls rot in places like our national parks where they can't be taken even after they die.
Jack

[Reed Gray]

I got some cherry burl from a local tree, that was the best cherry burl I have seen. The old timer who used to live there would burn off the sap sprouts every year, which I think triggered the burl growth. Like others have said, burls just happen. Some times more, some less, some huge, others like a bunch of pimples.
robo hippy

[Jeff Nicol]

Since here in WI we are only about 1500 - 2500 feet above sea level and most all of it was covered with glaciers at one time maybe that has something to do with it too, but seriously I have burls on cherry trees that are only 4" in dia and the burl is 8-10" in dia. The older the tree the older the burl and most likely larger. I think a lot has to do with soil and minerals in it. There are lots of hard or sugar maple trees around here that have lots of burl. The red oak have a few but the white oak have more. A bunch of the hickory trees farther north of me are dying and some of them have hundreds of small burls on the limbs and on the trunks, some on young trees and some on old trees. These look to be caused buy a bug. But the cherry around here gets burls like crazy! The yellow birch gets lots of them also but not as many on the white birch. So what it all boils down to is that we really don't want to know why, we just want to have them in our shops!!

Jeff

[Barry Stratton]

.... I have burls on cherry trees that are only 4" in dia and the burl is 8-10" in dia. The older the tree the older the burl and most likely larger. I think a lot has to do with soil and minerals in it. There are lots of hard or sugar maple trees around here that have lots of burl. The red oak have a few but the white oak have more. A bunch of the hickory trees farther north of me are dying and some of them have hundreds of small burls on the limbs and on the trunks, some on young trees and some on old trees. These look to be caused buy a bug. But the cherry around here gets burls like crazy! The yellow birch gets lots of them also but not as many on the white birch.

Got some nuclear power plants nearby, eh??;)

[Curt Fuller]

Around here in Utah the only burls I ever find that aren't growing in someone's yard are Box Elder. And for whatever reason, the trees that grow near water seem to have more burls. Along the South Fork of the Ogden river nearly every tree within 50' of the water is covered with burls. But I see pics of Box Elder from other areas that has the red streaks in it and that's something I've never found in the local Box Elder wood. No Ambrosia markings either.

[John Fricke]

Hey Toney, while many consider burls to be the holy grail of figured wood, There are lots of other sources of nicely figured wood. I drive delivery truck thru the rural countryside every day. There are so many trees out there that would provide interesting material. If only more would fall down. Seriously though, I find the most interesting prospects in fence rows, along the edge of woods, or growing out in the open. Trees in a forest must grow straight and tall to compete for light. Trees in the open are more subject to wind forces, which tend to cause the tree to twist and turn. I've added a cpl of pics I took on my route today.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii128/roadymi/nicetree.jpg

Can you imagine the figure in these crotches?

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii128/roadymi/Wood/untitled.jpg

This pic is a lil dark but the trunk of this tree is really twisted.

[Peter Gregory]

The local mill, near where I grew up in Southern Illinois, used to have a bone yard of worthless wood. You know the deal, 4X6's with pith, roots, burls, etc. There is an active turner group in Indiana somewhere, I used to get emails when I lived in those parts. You need to network more and find the sources. They are out there.

[Jeff Nicol]

Around here in Utah the only burls I ever find that aren't growing in someone's yard are Box Elder. And for whatever reason, the trees that grow near water seem to have more burls. Along the South Fork of the Ogden river nearly every tree within 50' of the water is covered with burls. But I see pics of Box Elder from other areas that has the red streaks in it and that's something I've never found in the local Box Elder wood. No Ambrosia markings either.
Curt, I think the farther west you go the less red you get in the boxelder and the more burl you get. Around here boxelder is a weed tree and is hated by all. It produces thousands of samaras (seeds) and they germinate very well. Just about every fence row and brushy wood lot are full of them. It may be the temperatures, the lack of bugs that like to bore into the broken braches, more or less rain, or any number of things that cause the burl. I find that most of the crotchwood of the boxelder around here to be wonderful, but not many burls.

So I guess everything at one time or another can affect the tree differently. It also stands to reason that more moisture will contribute to better and faster growth of the tree and the burl. The burl is basicly a parasite living on the tree, like a big wood tick!

Jeff