Earlier this week we took down a healthy red oak. I was finishing up the splitting this evening when I came across this cut from years ago. At first it didn't seem so big, but as I split away all the woundwood, it measured out at over 10". I believe it was Ropeshield who stated once that if you want to understand trees, work a maul (couldn't locate his exact quote). Well, in this case, I was working a hydraulic splitter, but this is still a great way to observe what happens within a tree over time.This cut had completely compartmentalized, and closed off the wound. Most people wouldn't have even known that a limb had once been there. While not all trees are healthy & strong enough to sustain a cut this size, and some species are better at it than others, here's proof that it can happen.
