Depending on the shape and amount of burls on your trees, you might think they're beautiful or ugly. They might even look cancerous, but the largest ones make the most beautiful pieces of wood - used by carpenters to make tabletops and art. But the truth is that there are many unsolved theories as to why burls grow on trees. Burls are those big lumps that look like tumors on a tree's exterior. Sometimes they can be cute, sometimes they can be horrifying like a face looking back at you. Removing a burl has the chance of killing a tree, and that's why we like to think of them as scabs. It's gross, but peeling off a scab isn't fun - it's a tree's way of healing. Although there are many theories as to why exactly burls grow on trees, we assess each one separately. If a burl is so big that its busting through your shed, there are things our tree surgeons can do to remove your burls. We've removed many burls in Victoria BC before. Some clients want to preserve the burls, and we salvage them so artists can work with a large piece of wood. In the end, I guess, we're not exactly sure if burls are bad for trees, it all depends on each case and the environment. Over the years in Victoria BC, however, we've come to believe where all the evidence points.

There are ancient trees that live longer than humans with burls on them, so they can't be that bad.