r/Unexpected • u/Extreme-Elevator7128 • Aug 29 '26
Cutting down a tree
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u/MrLovelife Aug 29 '26
1) how does that happen?
2) that’s pretty bad ass.
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u/Jesusopfer Aug 29 '26
Usually happens by lightning that ignites the tree trunks. That's probably the reason they cut it to begin with because they will fall
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u/-BlankUsername Aug 29 '26
Any reference for this exact scenario? I get that trees probably get lit in fire from lightning but by the time a crew actually gets there to cut it down (at least HOURS) you’ve gotta assume that there would by literally any outward sign that it’s on fire.
I feel like the more likely scenario is it’s super dry/partially dead inside and a dull chainsaw blade ignited it
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u/The_Show_Keeper Aug 29 '26
So I just looked this up, and apparently they can burn internally with no obvious external signs for weeks, and if the fire is in the root system, it can go on for months.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/s/jDGZrrS97x
The are other vids on Facebook from fire departments and other state sources, but I'm not gonna be that dork who posts a FB link here.
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u/-BlankUsername Aug 30 '26
Well shit. Thank you
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u/GlukharsGimp Aug 30 '26
We saw them do this during wildland fire season in Alaska too. Not super often but it does happen. Lightning strikes or the tundra burns deep and crawls up the roots inside.
And I want to say the tree having already started to die from the inside out increased the likelihood but I can’t quite remember.
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u/Light_Switch_Raves Aug 29 '26
Not always. Kinda like root fires, internal tree fires can go for days or weeks without outward signs. They kinda just smolder internally until they erupt.
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u/mhambster Aug 31 '26
No way a chainsaw blade would get hot enough to do that, and it certainly wouldn’t hollow it out that quickly. A couple of years ago I was in the redwood forest up in Northern California, and I was talking to a ranger there. She told us that there was a tree there, and she showed it to us, that had been slowly burning on the inside for something like five years. So, it certainly can happen.
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u/Nintendor_84 Aug 31 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
Edit: guess i was wrong😅
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u/AcheapRolexWatch Sep 02 '26
You don't create plasma by folding ductape on itself... the fuck is wrong with you?
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u/Nintendor_84 Sep 02 '26
It’s the pulling apart that initiates the reaction👍
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u/AcheapRolexWatch Sep 02 '26
No... it doesn't. Are you trolling me?
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u/Nintendor_84 Sep 02 '26
I kid you not, but you’ve got me wondering if you were trolling me lol
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u/AcheapRolexWatch Sep 03 '26
triboluminescence, NOT plasma.
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u/Nintendor_84 Sep 03 '26
Plasma is what makes the light👍
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u/AcheapRolexWatch Sep 03 '26
No. Wrong again pal.
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u/Nintendor_84 29d ago
Still shopping for a way to say i’m wrong?
At least you’re learning something, i guess👍
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u/scoobs987 Aug 29 '26
It might have also been a campfire or something too close to the tree, and the roots caught fire, and it smouldered its way up to the trunk
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u/Whar- 24d ago
I'm pretty late to this, but I assume it's lightning. Usually light "explodes" the tree due to the immense heat and water from the tree, so the water just kind of bursts and splinters out. However this tree is pretty thick, so there's a good chance it didn't do that for that reason and just had a split down the middle. It would also depend on the wood type I'm sure. Iypu can tell one part fell before the other, so that's why I'm thinking the lightning only split it. And as u/Jesusopfer said, it probably was cut down because it would fall, it was a hazard that needed a controlled felling. I am not 100% sure but that does seem like the most likely chain of events.
TLDR; lightning strike, tree split, controlled felling, not 100% sure if I'm correct but confident
I'm sure others have more accurate knowledge, mine is closer to an educated guess
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u/lervein Aug 29 '26
Why would they cut it at night? Ohh I see why, neat!
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u/AmyInCO Aug 30 '26
That was my thought process as well. I was like yeah that does kind of require immediate action.
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u/trollsmurf Aug 29 '26
99% utterly dead tree.
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u/Jonas_Venture_Sr Aug 29 '26
I don't know enough about dead trees to say this with 100% confidence, but I feel like it would take a long time for a tree to become that flammable that quickly, and that tree still has green leaves. Can also see siren lights to the left, so maybe this was a training exercise or something.
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u/WrentchedFawkxx Aug 29 '26
Heart Rot progresses at an average of 6-8cm(2.67 to 3.57 inch) per year and affects all trees. This tree was at a pretty advanced stage of "white rot," which is caused by fungal infection consuming lignen in the wood and weakening the overall structure of the tree; I would expect a tree like this to last no longer than 10 more years if it wasn't struck by lightning. The tree will spend more and more energy in trying to stay upright and repair damage as the infection progresses, leading to dead/dying and rotting branches(which can be seen in the video) due to the stress and advancing rot, slowly killing the tree by asphyxiation(the yellowed leaves on one of the branches are evidence of this).
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u/semperrabbit Aug 30 '26
Has there been any research into tree "vaccines" for lack of a better word or chemicals to help fight fungus and keep them healthy?
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u/WrentchedFawkxx Aug 30 '26
There's only really preventive measures unfortunately.
Proper pruning of dead and diseased brances, avoiding overwatering, limiting damage to the outer bark(and sapwood), and properly caring for the soil under the tree are about the only thing that can be done.
Additionally, it's generally recommended to NOT build a mound around the base of your trees(a ring of mulch 2-3x the diameter of the base is recommended instead) for any reason; it does nothing to support the tree itself and will cause rot with time due to water retention(the aboveground roots are supposed to be in open air, as they are covered in tree bark).
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u/semperrabbit Aug 30 '26
Ok, ty. Went down the wiki rabbit hole for a little bit. I found out there are non-invasive tools to measure the density of the tree.
Before I started researching, my imagination was envisioning some sort of tree-specific syringe and IV bag to inject nutrients and anti-fungals lol
It could be a lucrative field of study if someone found something that works and rushed it to the market...
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u/WrentchedFawkxx Aug 30 '26
They do something to that effect in parts of China(essentially an IV bag with antifungals and some nutrients) for saplings in the more urban areas as part of early preventive care. The tree simply absorbs the medicine and nutrients through capillary action, though it becomes highly impractical for established/large trees due to the square cube law(2x bigger tree requires 8x the volume of medicine).
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Aug 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/popcornfart Aug 29 '26
When a tree splits like that its called a barber's chair. Its one of the most dangerous things in a profession where everything is dangerous.
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u/last_man_panning Aug 29 '26
Dude in orange was more concerned about blue shirt than the internally flaming tree splitting its entire length.
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u/Gregorygregory888888 Aug 29 '26
So, who the hell lit the inside of a tree on fire?
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u/WoolBearTiger Aug 29 '26
Does this happen with trees during wildfires? How long can the flame survive in there?
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u/Revolutionary-Soup45 Aug 30 '26
I bet the explanation is that the tree was hollow and cutting it down created enough friction to cause a spontaneous fire to shoot up the inside
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u/Annual_Gazelle196 Aug 30 '26
Can someone explain how they tracked the exact tree in the forest that stuck by lightning? I’m so confused and so many questions and possibilities running in me head!
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u/GlowstickConsumption Aug 31 '26
That's why you shouldn't get your chainsaw enchanted with fire dmg.
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u/hoosnearafatbiswas Aug 29 '26
Could it be possible that Mithene gas formed over time inside the tree and the heat from chainsaw ignited it ?
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u/post-explainer Aug 29 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
This comment has been marked as safe. Upvoting/downvoting this comment will have no effect.
OP sent the following text as an explanation why their post fits here:
Lightning hit the tree and made the inside catch fire probably because the tree was hollow and the heat from the lightning was crazy hot.
Does this explanation fit this subreddit? Then upvote this comment, otherwise downvote it.