I don't belong to any garden forums, so I thought I would toss this out.
Virtually all American Ash trees have been attacked by the (Asian)Emerald Ash Borer beetle. Its larvae girdle the tree below the bark, and the tree dies.
In the past 4 years, I have taken down more trees than I can count. Today, I removed the remains of a tree that fell of its own accord after years of being dead. Instead of the usual boggey, dried, or worm eaten remains, that tree had a solid rust red interior. That material was very light (like balsa wood or Styrofoam), but not mushy. I have not tried to burn it. When hit with a chain saw, it turns to dust. I am thinking it may be the mineralized skeleton of the cellulosic structure of the live tree. The red, could be iron oxide and/or other things. There does not appear to be any remaining cellulosic structure.
Google was not helpful. If I have a chance tomorrow, I will do some chemistry on it, but in the meantime, I would appreciate any insights or search terms.
John
Virtually all American Ash trees have been attacked by the (Asian)Emerald Ash Borer beetle. Its larvae girdle the tree below the bark, and the tree dies.
In the past 4 years, I have taken down more trees than I can count. Today, I removed the remains of a tree that fell of its own accord after years of being dead. Instead of the usual boggey, dried, or worm eaten remains, that tree had a solid rust red interior. That material was very light (like balsa wood or Styrofoam), but not mushy. I have not tried to burn it. When hit with a chain saw, it turns to dust. I am thinking it may be the mineralized skeleton of the cellulosic structure of the live tree. The red, could be iron oxide and/or other things. There does not appear to be any remaining cellulosic structure.
Google was not helpful. If I have a chance tomorrow, I will do some chemistry on it, but in the meantime, I would appreciate any insights or search terms.
John