Why don鈥檛 trees rot in the ground, while wooden structures do if they aren鈥檛 properly built? (continued)
Joe Geesin
Kidderminster, Worcestershire, UK
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The wood that provides the structural basis of trees is non-living, i.e. a dead material, but it is surrounded by living material that grows, regenerates and transports fluid and nutrients around the organism.
The living parts that surround the wood can respond to injury, regrowing before rot sets in. The tree also has an immune system, and much of it is covered with protective bark. Parts unprotected by bark have their own adaptations that allow them to survive and grow under those conditions.
That wooden fence post you hammer into the ground doesn鈥檛 have any of that. It is just an organic material open to attack by sunlight, water, bacteria and insects, much like a fallen tree in the forest. Natural decay will be inevitable, the rate dependant on environmental conditions and what treatment the wood has had.
Keep the wood dry, handle it with care and cover it in a thick varnish and it will last for hundreds of years 鈥� look at any antique. But untreated wood in or around damp soil will be at the mercy of all the assailants mentioned above.
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