Surprises in the middle of a tree.

[dantiff2]

I have some white oaks that need dropped to free up some room for a future build. Hated to do it but no choice. The two in question surprised me after I put them on the ground and started bucking. The first one had to spots of what looks like a dye, I'm guessing some kind of insecticide. And the second tree had an aluminum spike that was roughly 12" long and 1" wide. It looks like it's around the 70th-80th ring on both trees.

 

[labrax]

Metal pipe in tree cut down today

Good pictures to illustrate what your talking about.

Yesterday the tree guys doing the work on my trees showed me that there was a metal pipe that was in the tree they were cutting down. The tree had grown around the pipe. I'll take a picture of it in the next day or two and post. We were speculating that they may have put a pipe up for a swing support between two trees at one time.

I was cutting through part of another trees trunk and there were some sparks when I cut a section. Maybe I hit a nail or something. The chain did not noticeably cut any worse. I'll give it a couple of passes with the file before I fill it up again.

 

[rarefish383]

The Blue color in the wood is an indication that there is Iron in the tree. Probably just a couple nails. We have found cannon balls, hand made spikes and hinges, chain, and countless nails, Joe.

 

[cgarman]

Iron content

I can say from experience that iron is at play. It may not be from something inside the tree. Just think you just use a steel chain and bar to cut it down.

I've gotten the same results from drilling into wet oak with a steel drill bit. I've actually seen water squirt out, and turn black/blue almost instantly when hitting the wood.

Red oak has a high tannin content. The tannic acid reacts with iron and can cause staining. I've also had this happen when gluing oak and leaving the steel clamps in place overnight.

My bet - you hit a really juicy spot in the tree, and the water/acid reacted with the bar to stain the oak.

If you need to remove the stain, I've had good luck with hydrogen peroxide. Bleach also works, but it can discolor the surrounding area.

 

[dantiff2]

Regarding the staining. It runs up the tree about four feet. It was in a few logs that were cut for firewood. It held that exact shape too. Two oval shaps the whole way then faded out.


Dan

 

[cgarman]

I wonder if it would be seen if you just split the logs. I was thinking maybe it's a 'wet' spot in the whole tree. It would be interesting to know if it only turns color as you cut through that spot. I'm really interested, because that looks exactly like the staining I had. I puzzled over it for a while. At first, I figured I just drilled through a worm or something. Then, I saw a drop of water fall off the drill bit and splatter, turning color as I watched.

Don't know the root cause, but I do think it's an iron/acid reaction.

 

[dantiff2]

The wood was stained when I split it. The whole length of the logs. It's not from the saw because it was there before I cut it. I was thinking like a needle treatment years ago? could that be possible?


Dan

 

[cgarman]

OK - that blew my theory out of the water. Maybe it was some sort of damage to the root, and the minerals got absorbed into that column of the tree, causing localized stains. Would you say it goes all the way to the root?

 

[thepheniox]

Trees carry nutrients, minerals and also water up and down the tree through their cells. Like someone else said there is probably a nail or some other steel or iron in the trunk. The iron in the object gets transported up the tree through the cells causing the stain. Just keep cutting and you will find something in there that will dull your saw.

 

[rarefish383]

No it's not a needle treatment. It is Iron in the wood. If you split through the blue you will find the culprit. A good metal detector will pick it up too. Just for the fun of it call a mill and tell them you have these beautiful Oak logs with this really pretty blue in it and see what they say. It is a reaction of the tanic acid and the iron. Joe.

 

[rarefish383]

Another quick experiment that usually works over night. Drive an old wedge in the side of the log through the bark, not enough to split it. Then 24 hrs later drive it all the way through and bust it open. Where the wedge was will be all blue, Joe.

 

[nomak]

maybe a root grew through a metal pipe underground and that particular root feed up that particular area in the tree through the cells ???? I dont know what Im talking about but just guessing here...

 

[ddhlakebound]

:bang::bang::bang:

Rarefish has explained in full detail what's going on. You can stop guessing and speculating, and go split out the proof of what he's said.....it's in there.

Or maybe is was fairy dust that did it....I hear that's got lots of iron in it.

 

[labrax]

Found a few pieces of metal in a maple

Splitting some of the maple that was taken down - found a big eye bolt a few inches in from the bark - about a 2 inch circle with an end like a lag bolt on it - good thing it wasn't hit by the chainsaw. Found about 6 nails a piece of stout wire (both in a few inches from bark) and that pipe that went about 18 inches down into the tree. All of this was from the same tree.

 

[Gologit]

Were there any civil war battles in your area?

 

[stihl sawing]

Betcha messed up a chain when you hit it. That always makes the day. I've hit a lot of bullets in trees. Actually the metal chunk shown looks like a mushroomed bullet.

 

[MostShady1]

Betcha messed up a chain when you hit it. That always makes the day. I've hit a lot of bullets in trees. Actually the metal chunk shown looks like a mushroomed bullet.

That's just what I said when these pics werre posted in another thread a few weeks ago.

 

[lobsta1]

Just found this in an oak I was splitting Saturday. Actually my chain found it when I was bucking the log up Friday.
Al

 

[belgian]

Were there any civil war battles in your area?

Good remark. In former battle area's, a lot of schrapnel is still found in trees. In the belgian ardennes, the battle of the bulge area, it's a very common phenomena and mills don't like it, for obvious reasons.

 

[buzz sawyer]

That's just what I said when these pics werre posted in another thread a few weeks ago.

Thought this looked familiar.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=133082