Burl Timber

A rich tone sample of Elm affected by a fungal growth, creating this highly unique burl pattern. Typically used for one-off, high-end furniture, or a slab of set-piece timber flooring or fireplace mantle with a consistent thickness, burled timber is a rare, unusual, dark grain pattern found in several species of wood. Burls are caused by infected tissue of buds which haven’t sprouted creating a ballooning, knobbly knuckle at the base of the trunk. Further stressing from fungus, insects or damage to the tree creates deeply textured, swirling and riven grain, while the curled, swirly pattern on this sample is typical of a tree which has experienced some deformation occurring from added pressure on the trunk bending the tree during growth, either from its location on a hillside, or due to the increased weight of the burl itself. The blue-grey and dark brown patches are likely caused by mineral staining from the tree’s submersion in water for a period of time while it was growing. Rapid growth also causes more intense patterns as a result of increased pressure and stress on the tree. Burled timber is typically expensive, highly sought after and difficult to synthetically replicate due to the unique and relatively rare scenarios in which they are found. It is also impossible to manufacture burl timber as the burls are caused by an infected growth, which causes a particular section of the tree to die and can spread to kill the tree completely. Additionally, burled timber is often significantly older than the living tree and its regrowth: With little to no moisture in these dead or dying segments, there is a higher risk of damage to both the tree and the burl specimen during removal, from dried out voids increasing the likelihood of splintering when cutting, or from mineral or other deposits from the infection, increasing cost due to the investment of skilled labour required to safely remove, process and work the specimen. The prevalence of knots, splits and fissures evident in this particular sample are testament to the difficulties in working with burl timber. Once removed from the tree, the timber is prepared by removing any snapped, damaged or splintered elements, before being pressure washed and cut. The machine sawn timber is then cured before being worked into the desired forms – either as a standalone piece or as a part of furniture, then finished with a protective coating of varnish. This particular Carpathian Elm texture is rich and warm in colour and highly variegated in grain and pattern, ranging from course, raised knots to confluences of smoother, sunken areas, creating a highly riven surface finish, displaying a wide variety of colours from whites, silvers, greys and peaches to clay red, orange and earthen brown, making it suitable as a central focal piece, standing out amongst neutral, calm backdrops, or contrasting a variety of other natural materials, tones and surfaces.