Harvesting Burls without hurting the tree

[Ted Alexander]

A friend has bought a new house and a tree by his driveway has two good size burls.I've turned several burls but have never harvested any.If I cut both of them at the same time 50 per cent of the trunk would be exposed.Would this be too stressful for the tree? I was thinking it might be better to cut off one now, let the tree heal over for a couple years and then remove the other one.Does anyone know how to do this so the tree will remain alive?
Thanks

[charlie knighton]

i am not knowledgable on trimming, but i would paint over any area cut on the trunk of tree with something, maybe even ancho seal

[John Trax]

Not sure without seeing a picture but if you are exposing half of the trunk I would say decline or death are almost certain. Many factors to consider, including age, species, vigor and health of the tree.

The arborist community is split on 'painting' wounds. Some say it helps, some say it doesn't. I pruned orchards for many years and we never painted anything. No time if you have 40 acres to prune.

[Dan Forman]

You might try asking a local arborist. Survivability may depend on species, and very probably how it's done and post treatment.

Dan

[Leo Van Der Loo]

The problem with a damaged tree is that the wood doesn't heal like we do, a tree wound like a cut branch is overgrown with new wood, that new wood doesn't become part of the old wood, it just grows overtop of it.

If the wound is small it doesn't take very long, maybe two or three-four years, quick enough to overgrow the wound before rotting starts in.

If the wound is bigger the wood will start rotting and even if eventually the wound is covered over, the rotting continues, sometimes fast sometimes slow, that depends mostly on the type of tree IMO, but I'm not sure about that.

Now all this with removing or broken branches, would also apply to cutting lumps/burls IMO, if it is a bigger cut the tree will die eventually because of it I'm quite sure.

I have seen enough trees/logs that were hollow or rotting because of the removal of limbs, cut or broken off, the tree does keep growing on the outside while the inner heartwood rots away, till it's weak enough at some part of the tree that a large part will just break out and slowly the whole tree will succumb, this can take very long with some trees other will break with a good thunderstorm or an ice and snow storms over here.

I got a couple of pictures, one that show the look of an overgrown cut branch, that cut surface was soft, but I was able to harden it and keep it.

the other two pictures show the lumps/bumps we see on trees, where the tree overgrew a cut or broken off branch, on the inside you will find rotting wood most often, sometimes completely gone, or partially gone, but the rotting process keeps going even when covered over.


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[charlie knighton]

good stuff Leo, thanks

[Ray Chalenski]

Leo is absolutely correct. As an arborist I can assure you that if that much wood is cut off the tree it would be detrimental to the health of the tree. When a branch is removed, the wood below it is dead.Trees don't heal like you or I.Healing of the cut takes place from the branch bark collar.New bark will form over the cut,over time, but the wood below is dead.Now if the branch removal is done beyond the branch bark collar,the healing process will never take place.If you google branch bark collar you could find some good representations on where to make the cut.:)

[Quinn McCarthy]

Listen to Ray and Leo.

The second that a branch or burl is cut from a tree the fungal spores in the air immediately infect the open wound. Their is nothing to prevent that. If you damage the sapwood and cambium of the tree there is a good chance it will die eventually.

Hope that helps.

Quinn
Forester by day woodworker by night.

[William Bachtel]

The best way to do this is to leave the tree and the burl alone. I wood watch these burls grow and enjoy their progress, they will get bigger and they tend to grow fast. If you cut these the tree is going to react to it, in a negitive way, and it will look like sh!+. Someday the tree may die, or have storm damage, or be removed for some reason. Best just to wait and enjoy them as they get bigger and better, if he is a good friend you will be doing him a favor, and he will give you the burls later.

[Ted Alexander]

Thanks everyone. I'll just take one off now and let it heal .I'll watch the other one develop and maybe take it off in 2-4 years. It will be interesting to see how the second one develops over time.