burls

Two people stand beside a redwood shaped like a candelabra

10 of the strangest trees in the redwoods

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A redwood forest typically includes tree after towering, straight tree, an expanse of magnificent columnar trunks reaching skyward. But there are odd redwoods out there. Here are some brow-raising examples.

Burls protrude from a coast redwood

What is a burl?

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We’ve all seen them—those enormous growths on the trunks or bases of coast redwood trees, sometimes covered in new sprouts, sometimes appearing to drip down the side of the tree like the molten remnants of a lost limb. These strange formations are collectively known as burls.

Redwood burl. Photo by Peter Montesano

Exploring the Mysteries of Redwood Burls

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We’ve all seen them—those enormous growths from the trunks or bases of redwood trees, sometimes covered in new sprouts, sometimes appearing to drip down the side of the tree like the molten remnants of a lost limb. These strange formations …