© 1964 by Institute of Chartered Foresters
The Development of Flutes or Hollows on Main Stems of Trees and its Relation to Bark Splitting and Strip Necrosis
The general problem is discussed mainly on the basis of observations made in the forest. It is suggested that the development of flutes or hollows, the dying of bark roughly in strips, and the longitudinal cracking of bark are all basically determined by conditions of water transport and supply within the main stem as this is influenced by the make-up and efficiency of the root system and the demand made by the crown. Flutes thus develop as the result of a continued, locally occurring and longitudinally directed, deficiency which does not become acute. Strip necrosis and splitting of bark or wood occur when such local deficiency becomes acute. The idea that shaded, suppressed branches live parasitically by drawing supplies from the main stem is discounted and it is considered that there is no adequate evidence to support this view.