Hollow Trees

[Maple Man 85]

I was cutting in an effort to thin in a lower area of my property and every tree I cut was hollow. I am cutting them down for fire wood so it didn't concern me but I though it was odd. The trees looked healthy from the outside don't understand why...:o

Maple Man 85

[Cedar Eater]

The wetness of the lower area causes the dry dead wood in the middle of the tree to rot out. Insects probably help. Carpenter ants can hollow out a live tree pretty good for a long time. Sometimes it's only the bottom few feet. Sometimes it goes pretty far up the tree.

[bigschuss]

That happens a lot in my neck of the woods to spruce and fir trees. I take down some fairly big trees and the minute I realize the tree is hollow I back out and let mother nature finish the job. Hollow trees can do some crazy things. Just not worth my life to take one down.

[happy thoughts]

The living part of the tree trunk is the sapwood which is the outer section underneath the bark and the part we get maple sap from. The heartwood is considered dead wood as it doesn't function to transport water or nutrients. I have some very old and large apple trees you can stand inside yet they still fully leaf out and produce some very tasty apples in large numbers. I guess you can't judge a book by it's cover or a tree by it's middle. :lol:

[Maple Man 85]

I've got an 80hp tractor with a logging wench that does a fine job of pulling them down from a comfortable distance. I've been cut by chain saws before and hit with falling limbs not a pleasant experience!!!