# Black streaks inside tree?



## snaple4 (Feb 11, 2018)

Cut down 3 dead trees in my yard. The largest one has black spots in the tree that go up. Any idea what it is? The first picture is of the stump. The other two pictures are of a different section of the tree.
	

		
			
		

		
	













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## johneh (Feb 11, 2018)

If it had been kiln dried It would be from minerals in the sap . It could of air
dried that way .
We at one time got a whole load of pine lumber that was blue stained like that


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## Jeffm1 (Feb 11, 2018)

Might possibly mean there is metal in there somewhere. Nails, screws, staples, bullets, etc. Careful with the chain saw. Be darn sure you wear eye protection.


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## snaple4 (Feb 11, 2018)

Safe to burn once I season it? Neighbor suggested someone may have tried to kill it with oil a long time ago but I don't see how it would form these spots that run the length of the tree.

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## Jeffm1 (Feb 11, 2018)

snaple4 said:


> Safe to burn once I season it? Neighbor suggested someone may have tried to kill it with oil a long time ago but I don't see how it would form these spots that run the length of the tree.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


Yup.


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## peakbagger (Feb 11, 2018)

My bet is you will find metal somewhere that lines up with the stains. Doesn't take much, wire staples will do it.


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## Alpine1 (Feb 11, 2018)

If it is of the pinus family (p. sylvestris, p nigra, p pinea etc) it’s been killed by Diplodia pinea, a fungus. The blue streaks are a result of the infection.


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## JimBear (Feb 11, 2018)

I have cut up some dead standing American Elm  that had blueish green stains in it but nothing that prominent.


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## coutufr (Feb 11, 2018)

There is metal somewhere in it.


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## billb3 (Feb 11, 2018)

Metal in the tree somewhere. Likely iron, but not necessarily.
If you don't find it with the bar and chain you probably will when you split it.


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## FaithfulWoodsman (Feb 12, 2018)

Nice oak tree. Like others said, metal. Especially with it being a yard tree. No issues burning, so good to go.


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## St. Coemgen (Feb 12, 2018)

I have to disagree with everyone here who said caused by metal.

Agree with* Alpine1*. Looks like blue stain fungus to me. Such as:






Image from: http://2011.igem.org/Team:British_Columbia/Background


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## Eureka (Feb 12, 2018)

I’ve seen that quite a few times in red oak, and I’d say it’s mineral staining.  Could be from metal or just a mineral rich soil.  I have seen it in the middle of a woodlot.  There’s actually a lot of possibilities. That is identical to what I see on fence line trees at fence height.  I tend to leave behind the first 4’ of those with all the barbed wire and sand they contain.


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## BenTN (Feb 12, 2018)

Metal. Any chance this tree was on the corner of your property? Looks a lot like a corner post for a barbed wire fence.


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## peakbagger (Feb 12, 2018)

By the way, once the stain occurs, its there for good even in the metal is removed or rusts away. The stain generally travels up the tree away from the iron and gets real dark the closer you get to it. I helped cut some large urban oaks years ago and the guy who bought them told us not to even waste his time bringing anything over with blue stains, we got some nice logs but a whole lot of firewood as few of the trees were any good for about 12 feet from the ground. If I suspect any iron I run my metal detector over the log.


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## nrford (Feb 12, 2018)

It's iron! I've seen plenty of it in the mill!


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## nrford (Feb 12, 2018)

Oak heartwood will not blue stain like the pic of the pine.


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## Pat32rf (Feb 14, 2018)

My vote is metal in an oak tree. possibly a clothes line wrapped around fifty or so years back.....in one of them


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## BIGChrisNH (Feb 14, 2018)

I've only seen that a couple of times, and both times I found at least one old rusty nail inside the tree.


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## JRHAWK9 (Feb 14, 2018)

I've seen it in Red Oak by us.  These are trees in the middle of the woods and not yard trees


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## Eureka (Feb 14, 2018)

JRHAWK9 said:


> I've seen it in Red Oak by us.  These are trees in the middle of the woods and not yard trees


I’ve had the same thing in trees from
the middle of an old woods. No fences in sight.  I’m right in trap rock and iron country and always figured it was iron deposits.  Pretty common to find little golf ball sized magnetic nuggets of iron ore in the soil around here.  I’m a woodworker and have seen my fair share of metal stained woods from nails, fence clips, staples, and steel shot and bullets.  Looks pretty much the same as this in many different species.


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## Firewood Bandit (Feb 15, 2018)

Metal


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## mark cline (Feb 15, 2018)

Blue stain fungus  very common in pines


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