I guess this would be the same situation as we often see on the west coast where Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) stumps continue to grow for years after being cut down - no leaves, just expanding bark. There are lots of scholarly articles on the web that discuss this phenomenon with Douglas Firs and several other conifers. Quite fascinating. Overgrowth of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco) stumps with regenerative tissue as an example of cell ordering and tissue reorganization