When one takes a walk through the woods and views several trees
with a small hole in its trunk or even a larger expanse that
exposes the inside of the tree trunk, more than likely little
thought is given to it other than it looks disfigured and not as
worthy as the other trees are. One would need to think more in
depth, because these holes, aka hollows, trunk rot and internal
decay, are semi-enclosed cavities which have formed in the trunk
or branch of a tree. These hollows may start forming after a
natural disaster such as lightning, wind or fire. Some are
started from the ill pruning of branches from the trunk. Being a
survivor, trees can live for hundreds to thousands of years even
after the heartwood, the inner core, as in older mature trees
have started to decay. The sapwood, the layer between the bark
and inner core, continues to conduct water and minerals
throughout the tree. Eventually, fungus finds its way to the
center of the tree paving the way for termite attack, slowly
rotting away the heartwood