Burled maple wood10/23/2023 They can be harvested without chopping down and killing an entire tree. In fact, burls, despite their rarity, are a sustainable wood product if harvested with care. Interestingly, burls don't do much harm to trees or shorten their lifespan. They can't be produced on command and, hence, are prized for their incomparable beauty. While burls can technically form on any type of tree, certain species are more susceptible to the fungal attacks that produce burl wood. Look how gorgeous the interior of the burls are when cut open! For this reason, burl wood isn’t used for solid structures but is used for things like watches, furniture, and instruments, etc. What are burls used for?īurls have a very irregular size and dimensions and therefore they are not known for their sturdiness. Burls are actually really beneficial for trees as they help preserve a damaged tree. Many people think of burls as diseased but that is not the case, neither are these contagious. They also grow at the same rate in all weathers. ![]() These burls grow at a rate faster than that of other tree cells and therefore grow to unpredictable sizes. In fact, some of the popular tree species that regularly grow burls are: Burls are not unique to just one species of tree. They are also found in underground tree tissue. ![]() These burls are found around tree trunk bases or where branches have been broken. They are not regulated by the same tree chemicals as callus growth, so they grow into unique shapes and styles. The callous tissue then forms burls that we all admire. Basically, when storms happen, they damage trees, and trees as a response from this callous tissue to heal. These are formed usually as a response to environmental damage, or pruning, or insect attacks, or even storms. The tree's growth hormones are disrupted and, consequently, it produces those colorful looking lumps and swirls.Ī burl is an unusual-looking collection of tree cells. Ugly on the outside, but magnificent on the inside, it can form on any type of tree! A burl usually grows when the tree is undergoing some stress, whether it be an injury, virus, or fungal infection. ![]() One freakishly large Big-Leaf Maple tree in Oregon reportedly has a trunk diameter of nearly 12 feet and is 101 feet tall.Burl wood is anything but average. The swirls, twirls, and eyes dancing in the bark all create a unique, highly figured wood grain that no human could dream of designing.īut what is burl wood really? We know you've heard of it - our walnut burl and maple burl watches get a lot of love from you guys! Here's a hint: it's not a type of tree!Ī burl is a cool-looking, extraneous growth on a tree. The trees themselves normally grow to heights of about 30 feet and can develop several trunks. It does, however, polish very nicely.īig-Leaf Maple takes its name, obviously, from the prodigious size of its leaves - typically about 6 to 12 inches wide. Like any burl wood, Big-Leaf Maple Burl can be somewhat difficult to turn because of its unpredictable grain. The heartwood of Big-Leaf Maple Burl varies in color from light cream to dark brown and, of course, features a haphazard pattern of swirls. The kaleidoscopic pattern of swirls common to Big-Leaf Maple Burl makes the species immensely popular among woodturners and carvers, as well as makers of fine furniture, musical instruments, and paneling. (A "burl," for the uninitiated, is a lumpy outgrowth that forms on a tree as a result of parasites or some other type of damage the wood found within these burls is often spectacularly figured due to the inherently erratic grain.) Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) grows in such abundance near the Pacific coast of the United States, there's no shortage of burls to be gleaned from them.
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