Fatwood trees?

kvaughn · Mar 16, 2009

I know how fatwood forms in pine stumps. Do other conifers form fatwood? I see a lot of cedar and hemlock stumps but dont find any fatwood. Any ideas?--thanx --KV

dipbait · Mar 16, 2009

I asked about cedars, and the answer was no.

Mistwalker · Mar 16, 2009

As far as I know it is just types of pine...never seen it in cedar, or fir.

BarberFobic1992 · Mar 16, 2009

in my expirience, it has just been pine.

Quirt · Mar 16, 2009

Douglas Fir in the Pac NW has it.

storl · Mar 16, 2009

IIRC, fatwood is produced when the tree suffers a sudden, violent death, like being hit by lightning, cut down, broken in an ice storm, etc. The roots will continue to send resin up the trunk, except it does not have very far to go, so it concentrates in what is left. I suppose any tree that does this could produce fatwood, but pines are the only ones I know of.

beckerhead · Mar 17, 2009

You can get "rich" wood from cedar skeletons that does contain more "goody" than normal, but not the full on resin packed sugary sticky heartwood that comes from pines. And in our stomping grounds it is easy to walk across 30-50 full sized "fatwood" skeletons in a day of woods walking. They are anywhere from 2" to 12" diameter, and up to 35'-40' long.

A certain section of McKinley Mountain, in the Ouachitas has enough full sized heartwood skeletons to fill several large dump trucks, some nearly 2ft. diameter and about 60 feet long. If I am up there any time soon I'll try to remember and get a few pics.

Mistwalker · Mar 17, 2009

beckerhead said:
You can get "rich" wood from cedar skeletons that does contain more "goody" than normal, but not the full on resin packed sugary sticky heartwood that comes from pines. And in our stomping grounds it is easy to walk across 30-50 full sized "fatwood" skeletons in a day of woods walking. They are anywhere from 2" to 12" diameter, and up to 35'-40' long.

A certain section of McKinley Mountain, in the Ouachitas has enough full sized heartwood skeletons to fill several large dump trucks, some nearly 2ft. diameter and about 60 feet long. If I am up there any time soon I'll try to remember and get a few pics.

Suddenly I'm wondering if maple syrup will burn....