Tree Acoustics Identify Rot and Decay

On the outside, trees can look perfectly healthy, but on the inside they might be rotted to the core. One type of tree rot, called heart rot, is the result of a fungal infection that enters the tree through wounds in the bark. Once inside, the fungus then begins eating away at the center of the trunk and branches killing the tree from the inside out. Acacia caffra logs with heart rot. Credit: Paul venter. Because certain rot occurs deep within trees, scientists, carpenters and others cannot know...