Folks,

one for you. We just discovered that the oldest Fukien Tea, which had very durable dark heartwood, was actually fire hardened.
The wood around the treatment has retreated by about 1/4 of an inch and is rotting.
Before, it was believed that the heartwood was mature, as the tree was listed as being about 35 years+ old and in ignorance, it was assumed that the heartwood was durable.

The heartwood is dark, but not charcoal black.

Now a choice has to be made, bury and allow new roots to form or try and harden the heartwood.

Exported tree from China through Miami, and received as a Christmas gift, 98 or so..
Hope it can be saved.
You live, you learn.

Additionally, with the rains, now falling, the J.B.pine needles that were 1" are growing on to 2", just like last year. Must be the moist air.
Good Day
Anthony

Larry,

depending on the growing conditions [ how dry and slowly a tree grows ] and genetics, it takes between 35 to 50 years for wood to mature to decay resistance [ teak for example ].
Some tree can be soft wooded in the heart and have a toxic situation, so insects leave it alone [ our cedrula for example ] and some can be soft and resist decay from the weather [ your redwood ?]

BUT some trees never reach that state and I guess fire hardening is used or minwax or some other chemical.

This is why we use the seed to mature tree approach, with a planned design ----------- small cuts that can heal.

Good example is the Sageretia t., wood rots very easily, age matters not. Heals poorly, save on cuts smaller than this size - O.
Good Morning
Anthony

* In the words of J.Meislik - exposed wood touching soil cannot be hardened [ rendered resistant to decay.].