Started taking some shoots off the copper birches. Man do they hold water! Zoom in and you can see the drip below the cut.
I do not think I have cut into a tree and seen that much water in it. Mostly what I cut is dead stuff or dying.
I trimmed back some branches of a black birch. As I walked away I heard a noise. The fresh cut areas were dripping sap, landing on dry leaves. For some reason, that moment has stayed with me.
It's the time of year, especially down south. The sap is running as the trees are getting ready for the growing season.
Shoot that’s nothing. Be glad you’ve never had the displeasure of felling a cottonwood. this was July during an extremely dry period. Water came gushing out like it is want to do with Cottonwood. I didn’t expect it since it had been dry but osmotic pressure had other ideas. As is typical it smelled of sulfur/sewage. Of course it ended up all down my right pant leg making for a pleasant sort of funk all day
Glad we haven't cut any cottonwood, then... This was a hickory we cut in Oct '20. Wonder how much would have ran out in the spring...https://youtube.com/shorts/Z8KF7DSd64Q?feature=share
I've been soaked before cutting into a red oak, just never seen this much moisture / sap before. Another 25 foot stump.
I've got to say the 3 wettest trees I've ever cut into have been cottonwood, poplar, and elm. Where I live there isn't a huge variety but these 3 stick out to me. They also all stunk. What is it about wet trees and stench? Is it bacteria, something they are pulling from the soil/ground water, or what because once CSS and dried they don't stink?
They sure do. Fast growing too. Looks very similar to the river birch i scrounged last Summer. Stuff goes punky REAL FAST so procees and cover ASAP. EDIT: it is the same as i read all the replies.
The wettest wood I ever processed was American sycamore, I have a video of me splitting it and the water just being squished out as it was split
