Trunk (botany)

"Tree trunk" redirects here. For the song by The Doors, see Tree Trunk.

For other uses of "Trunk", see Trunk (disambiguation).

The base of a Yellow Birch trunk

In botany, trunk (or bole) refers to the main wooden axis of a tree, which is an important diagnostic feature in tree identification, and which often differs markedly from the bottom of the trunk to the top, depending on the species. The trunk is the most important part of the tree for timber production.

Trunks occur both in "true" woody plants as well as non-woody plants such as palms and other monocots, though the internal physiology is different in each case. In all plants, trunks thicken over time due to formation of secondary growth (or in monocots, pseudo-secondary growth). Trunks can be vulnerable to damage, including sunburn. Trunks which are cut down in logging are generally called logs and if cut to a specific length bolts.

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  Raft of timber logs

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  Cross section of a hazel bole

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  Log being decomposed by bracket fungi

See also

• Basal area
• Tree measurement
• Tree volume measurement
• Diameter at breast height

External links

• Inside a tree trunk from the University of the Western Cape