Redwood tree with burl

A burl is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. Wood of a mottled veneer, is usually cut from such a growth. Because of the value of burls, ancient redwoods in National Parks in Western United States have recently been poached by thieves for their burls, including at Redwood National and State Parks. Poachers often cut off the burls from the sides of the trunks using chainsaws, which exposes the tree to infection and disease, or fell the entire tree to steal burls higher up.
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