"Bole"

New to me!!! I encountered "bole" twice this week while reading two different books, one historical, 1980 vintage, and one natural history, 1935. The dictionary revealed that a "bole" is a tree trunk. And so, despite heating with firewood for over 25 years and reading countless forum posts, it is never to late to learn something new. I cut three "boles" of slippery elm this year and five "boles" last year... My largest 14" Makita battery cut is a 21 1/2" red oak "bole"... Dictionary says "bole" is a modern word, not archaic. Am I the only person who has never known the word "bole"?

 

I learned the term last year working with the American Chestnut Foundation. In their field descriptions of surviving trees, they would describe single or multi trunk examples as boles.

 

I have heard the term, but not very often

I don’t know if it’s usage is a regional thing or not, but I never hear it here, waaaay out West.

I don’t think that I have heard the term spoken, in conversation, but I have read it a few times.


Doug

 

New one for me !!

 

Never have heard the term. I learned "spar" on here which more or less means the same only with the top cut off. It was used by a tree service member here.

 

I heard the word bole enough in forestry school. I like trunk better, bole sounds to fancy.

 

1st time hearing it for me.

 

1st time hearing about it. Always learning around here.

 

New one for me

 

I have heard that before mostly while sitting in my study listening to symphony reading Shakespeare and sipping my brandy dressed in my Orvis smoking Jacket but while sipping Jack and sittin on the porch in my overalls listening to Bill Monroe I have not heard it to often

 

Good one! I have heard of bole in reading. Another word that has surfaced more often for me is 'stem' but I guess that might be from foresters in the crowd. I don't get why 'log' isn't just as apropos, not sure, lol.

 

I suppose if a bowl can be made from a bole, then yes on the pin!

 

Grandfather and father both foresters. Hadn’t heard it either.

 

If you’re dropping boles, are you bowling?

 

Never heard of it until your post! Thanks for sharing.

Do you have a XCU03 Makita chainsaw? If so, so do I! I love that thing. I was bucking up logs at the dump and the DPW guys were all gaping at me and I said "Whudduya staring at?" and a guy said "I can't believe your little electric chainsaw is cutting better than our giant Stihl saws!" and I then went on to yap about chain sharpening and raker depth.......

 

And here I thought it was a fancy word for a hole in a burl!

 

I agree with Eckie, a forestry term.

 

Never heard of it. Sounds like something made up by academics to keep everyone else in the dark.

 

Gotta maintain that elitist status.