| Hollowed
mature Bald Cypress |
Andrew
Joslin |
| Mar
14, 2006 12:53 PST |
A friend who frequents south Georgia/Florida panhandle
bottomland was
curious to know what the experts have to say about the observed
phenomenon
of mature Bald Cypress frequently having hollow trunks but
otherwise
seeming healthy and structurally sound. Considering this species
reputation
for resistance to rot does anyone have comment? It appears that
the outer
cylinder of the trunk is extremely strong and rot resistant. And
that the
heartwood in the old trees is maybe more porous or relatively
spongy. Is it
possible that these trees are adapted to grow this way when
they're sitting
in water and that there is some benefit to "allowing"
the center to rot
out? It certainly is a benefit to fauna. Another possibility
mentioned by
my friend is that loggers took the solid ones and left the
hollow ones to
stand and that it is a human induced artifact rather than
adaptive.
In general is the outer cylinder of a tree considered more load
bearing
than the heartwood or interior?
A lot of questions, thanks in advance for your comments.
Andrew Joslin
Jamaica Plain, MA |
|