Hi, I know this is a little out of the ordinary as IDs go, but does anyone recognize this growth? A co-worker saw it on a neighbour's tree She said they tried to pry it off, but is it is extremely hard, and sawing it off would probably be the only way to remove it. should they?. Should they move out of the neighbourhood? :-) Thanks. Z.
A burl. Cause unknown, but harmless to the tree. The wood contained in a large burl can be very valuable for its decorative grain and figure. But only harvest it if/when the whole tree is harvested, don't try to remove it now as that would leave a large wound open to decay.
For more pictures of Burls, some almost as scary... http://images.google.com/images?q=b...US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi
Thank you Michael. You too Ron, that was funny. I've seen Burlson California Redwoods in Saucelito, but I don't remember them being that scary looking. Glad to know that it is harmless. Z.