What are the black marks?

[Basswood]

Looks similar to an image of injection marks in Shigo’s “Modern Arboriculture”

 

[owScott]

When you grind the stump, watch out for wire. If the tree was planted with the basket on, the same thing may happen. We had one of those recently.

Only recently? I hit those damn baskets regularly.

 

[owScott]

I vote injections

 

[Reach]

Only recently? I hit those damn baskets regularly.

We hit them regularly too, but just recently had a tree with a ring of iron streaks from the basket, hence the picture. One of these days though I’m going to throw a piece of wire through myself from one of those baskets.

 

[VenasNursery]

We hit them regularly too, but just recently had a tree with a ring of iron streaks from the basket, hence the picture. One of these days though I’m going to throw a piece of wire through myself from one of those baskets.

Scary
Had a piece take out a seal on our sc852
Couldn’t see it up there
And yes a tree basket not a WWII artifact

where we purchased our baskets told us that they would rot so yeah we believed them

we still use metal baskets but we remove them when planting

some wholesale houses still use nylon string also he have to always check when planting and bad for stumpers also

 

[Daniel]

Almost certainly injections... I'd bet $100

No way will a basket leave that kind of pattern. The tree would just grow around it. The shape of those spots indicates that they were from wounds. Only one thing is going to wound in an even pattern like that.. injections!!!

 

[GregManning]

I have seen similar "dark radial rays" on a couple of maples from my property.
I certainly don't know. I just assumed they were related to old, oven-grown branches ? ? ?

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I have seen similar "dark radial rays" on a couple of maples from my property.
I certainly don't know. I just assumed they were related to old, oven-grown branches ? ? ?

Or maybe from sap taps

 

[GregManning]

Or maybe from sap taps

Way to many marks for taps.

I think I posted pics here on TreeBuzz; I'll see if I can find them.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Maybe from year after year tapping? There are pics in one of Shigo's books showing the same patterns in documented sugar maples.

 

[KTSmith]

Definitely injection wounds. I've dissected a lot of them. As for ring counts, and I guess this is obvious, the greatest accuracy is when you are counting at the plane of injury along the stem. the columns of wound-initiated discoloration do tend to attenuate above the wound. The provided image does show some nice cambial necrosis, so sure, have at it! Sure, Shigo has nice pictures of some. I do too in my injection articles. I like the 3-D image in my Figure 5 here. And although this one is for maple sapwood, it still tells the story of hole-drilling even without injection.

 

[oldoakman]

Definitely injection wounds. I've dissected a lot of them. As for ring counts, and I guess this is obvious, the greatest accuracy is when you are counting at the plane of injury along the stem. the columns of wound-initiated discoloration do tend to attenuate above the wound. The provided image does show some nice cambial necrosis, so sure, have at it! Sure, Shigo has nice pictures of some. I do too in my injection articles. I like the 3-D image in my Figure 5 here. And although this one is for maple sapwood, it still tells the story of hole-drilling even without injection.

I am humbled...consensus with Dr. Smith.

 

[JaredDTS]

If the tree encapsulates a metallic basket it would no have access to oxygen to continue to rust?

 

[Reach]

If the tree encapsulates a metallic basket it would no have access to oxygen to continue to rust?

I would expect it could continue to rust, but the tree also seems to absorb/pickup some of the iron.

 

[Cliff_Towle]

Wow. Lots of talk, but the OP still hasn't dropped off my firewood.

 

[Reach]

Wow. Lots of talk, but the OP still hasn't dropped off my firewood.

You want firewood, stop on by and take all the logs you want!