Bill,
I got the same book, and that part left me scratching my head. Last
fall I got a Walnut branch that came off horizontally. It was about 24
inches high, and 12 inches wide. The pith was located about 6 inches
down from the top of the branch. This seems to hold true for every
other leaning tree and branch that I have collected. The extra build up
is on the compression side of the tree and not on the tension side.
robo hippy



















Bill R wrote:
I bought a book 'Turning Green Wood' by Michael O'Donnell. In it he
explains
reaction wood in branches, he says:

"Hardwood in the northern hemisphere build the reation wood on the
tension
side of the pith, which gives rise to growth rings in branches being
wider
on the tension side (the upper side) than on the compression side. In
the
southern hemisphere this is reversed."

This poses some interesting questions:

1. How does a tree know whether it is in the northern or southern
hemisphere?
2. Do tree branches on the equator have equal size growth rings above
and
below the pith?
3. If I send an acorn from England to Australia will the resulting
oak have
reaction wood as its parents or as its environment?

Something to muse on?

BillR