Basics From http://www.chesco.com/~treeman/SHIGO/CANKER.html
Is wood really dead?A poor understanding of wood in living trees is a major
part of the confusion. The great mass or size of trees is the next problem.
To study wood, small pieces were taken into a laboratory and examined under
the microscope. Wood anatomy was born; not tree anatomy! The information
was valuable because products from wood were so important to economics.
Further, because wood products were dead, and wood under the microscope was
dead, soon wood was considered as a dead substance in living trees.
Remember, in the laboratory the wood was fixed -killed and prepared -before
being sliced for observation under the microscope. Forest products
interests for economic reasons was so high because forests were thought to
be endless. Products research and university studies and research on wood
products were the major activities associated with trees. Tree biology
never had a chance.
Trees are living organisms! As living systems, trees do respond in order to
survive when their survival is threatened. So simple. So extremely
difficult to get accepted! Why? Because if you accept this simple fact
then you must throw out mountains of data and treatments - really myths -
based on trees that have dead wood.

Sincerely,

John A. Keslick, Jr.
http://www.chesco.com/~treeman
Beware of so-called TREE EXPERTS who do not understand TREE BIOLOGY!
www.treedictionary.com