Burl
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A burl (British "burr") is a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch. Burls are often misunderstood. As it is the product of a cambium, it may not be compared to any phenomenon in animals or humans. A burl is a burl only if it is filled with small knots from dormant buds. The famous birdseye maple superficially resembles the wood of a burl but is something else entirely. Some say that burls are near knots but cannot have knots themselves[citation needed]; the maple burl pictured below seems to have knots in it.
Burls yield a very peculiar and highly figured wood. There are a number of famous burls (each from a particular species); these are highly valued and used as veneers in furniture, picture frames, household objects, automobile interior paneling and trim, and woodturning.
In some tree species, burls can grow to great size. Some of the largest occur in redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens); when moisture is present, these burls can grow new redwood trees.
The world's largest and second-largest burls can be found in Port McNeill, British Columbia.
One of the largest burls known to man was found around 1984 in the small town of Tamworth, Australia. It stands 6.4 ft tall with an odd growth resembling a trombone.
Gallery
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Maple burl, not to be confused with bird's-eye maple. -
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A giant burl near Solduc Falls in Olympic National Park. -
An unusually large spruce burl on display at the University of Alberta.
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A burl the size of a refrigerator on the trunk of a Coast Redwood.
