Even burls are bigger in Texas!

[Martin Shupe]

My good friend, Dr. Tom McGrath, used to show off this burl to all of his dendrology and pathology forestry classes. I had forgotten it, but he reminded me of it during a visit down to East Texas this past summer. The size is hard to believe. I took the first pic from across the street, trying to get the entire tree in the picture. In the second pic you can see the man's house in the background, and the third pic shows the proud homeowner in front of his burl to give you some perspective of the size. He is easily 6 feet tall, maybe a little taller. This one tree (a post oak or maybe white oak, I can't remember) shades his entire front yard and most of his house. He is quite proud of it, and when he saw me admiring it, came out to tell me all about it. I am sorry I don't have his name, but it's probably better that way so none of you can track the burl down and steal it in the dead of night.:D For those of you entertaining thoughts of offering him money for his burl, he has already been offered thousands of dollars and swears he would never sell as the tree is too beautiful and keeps his cooling bills low.

[Corey Hallagan]

Good God, that oak tree looks pregnant! Wow, that is cool, thanks for the look see!

Corey

[Travis Stinson]

East Texas huh? :D

[Andy Hoyt]

Ha! - I know that guy!

I'll be taking bids til noon Saturday

[Barry Stratton]

Doesn't the "Oak Man" live in east Texas? And Ernie??? Hmmmmmm

Amazing burl!

[Dennis Peacock]

Looks like a job for me and my Stihl with a short visit to Texas. :p :p :D

[Bill Boehme]

That thing is so big that it has burls on top of the big burl!! It is rare to see true burls on oak trees, usually they are just big knots around a limb that has died back, but this looks like the real McCoy.

I think that I will show up posing as a tree surgeon with chain saw in hand and let the owner know that his prized tree is infected with the dreaded OMD (oak mumps disease) and the only way to save his tree is for me to remove the vile disfiguring growth.

Bill

[Mark Pruitt]

I would think that a tree like that should be worthy of some documentation by National Geographic or some other media outlet...a story for posterity. Like everything else trees eventually die, and it would be a shame to let that one go unrecognized and someday be gone altogether. (Not to mention that the next owner might not appreciate its value.)

[Jay Kilpatrick]

Does anyone else see the gorrilla in that Burl, or is my mind playing tricks on me?

[Frank Kobilsek]

There is a maple in my town about a block from my office with a burl about half size of that giant. The city tree crew knows that if that tree ever comes down, I get it and they get dinner & drinks for an evening!
Frank

[Joe Fisher]

Does anyone else see the gorrilla in that Burl, or is my mind playing tricks on me?
That's not very nice! I'm sure the homeowner is a fine gentleman :)

I do see it! Just above and left of center, yea? Creepy...

-Joe

[Mark Pruitt]

That's not very nice! I'm sure the homeowner is a fine gentleman :)

I do see it! Just above and left of center, yea? Creepy...

-Joe

I see a dog, a wing, and the head of a duck, but no gorilla. What are you guys drinking today?:D

[Joash Boyton]

Wow!! that's Huge, could make some nice stuff out of that........but have you seen the burls in Australia??:D

Go here (http://www.xmission.com/~burlturn/Whyitcost/whyitcost.htm)

Joash

[Martin Shupe]

Wow! Really cool link, Joash! Thanks!

[Adam Bauer]

Wow, that burl brings back memories. I actually have seen that in person as I have a degree in forestry from that university (however I'm not in forestry anymore) and it was in Dr. McGraths dendro. class where I first saw that tree. Also if you think that thing looks massive in pictures you really need to see it in person. Those pictures don't do the tree justice, that burl is truely massive!

[Bill Boehme]

Joash,

I became suspicious of one of the pictures as soon as I saw it. Why were the men on the hill standing sideways and why was the water in the foreground tilted. I opened the picture in photoshop and it automatically knew that the image had been rotated 35 degrees clockwise. So, I unrotated the image and things look more normal. Pictures don't lie, but photographers do.

Bill

[Joash Boyton]

Hey, that's interesting, never thought/seen that.....the website has no connection with me, or the photographers:D

[Leo Van Der Loo]

You like to see a large burl ??, well the worlds largest burl is right here in CANADA

http://www.mcguiresplace.net/Sawmill-The%20World's%20Largest%20Burl/

[Cory Norgart]

I have just the tool for that oak tree; largest chainsaw in the world:)

[Ralph Lindberg]

Do a search for "spruce burl Port McNeill" and you should find photo's of even larger burls

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Do we have an echo in here :eek: :D :D

[Mike Minto]

ahhh - remember, Alaska is bigger - much bigger. mike :)

[Jim Evans]

Dr Tom McGrath taught me dendrology - at least the lab portion at Stephen F Austin back in 1976. I loved his taking his lab - he took off at a break neck speed across campus or through the woods, and if you could keep up you learned a ton about identifiying trees.

How did you come to know Doc McGrath?

[Craig Powers]

Wow, that burl brings back memories. I actually have seen that in person as I have a degree in forestry from that university (however I'm not in forestry anymore) and it was in Dr. McGraths dendro. class where I first saw that tree. Also if you think that thing looks massive in pictures you really need to see it in person. Those pictures don't do the tree justice, that burl is truely massive!

I took Dr. McGraths dendro class as well, but don't remember seeing the burl. I'll have to go looking for it now.....but don't worry, I already have some post oak burl that came down during Ike. I'd love to see it in person.

[curtis rosche]

that spruce "burl" isnt a true burl, just a growth. in my definition of a burl, it needs to have eyes and tons of figure and things. the burls i have seen like that are just about plain on the inside.