California Surveyors Forums

I am working on a project in the south SF Bay area where one of the lines is witnessed by bearing trees. This is not something I have experience evaluating. I have a attached a photo of what I believe to be a healed blaze in a live oak. The record documents indicate a 13" Live Oak was blazed approximately 100 years ago. The tree I found is approx. 24" in diameter. Does the attached photo appear to be a healed blaze?

It would be helpful if those who may have photos of bearing trees could share some on this site.

Thanks for your time,

What is the description of the blaze?

If it is an "x" with a bar above and below, this might be it.

The blaze is supposed to be "B.T.R.S."

Also, what is the general convention for distances given from bearing trees. Are the distances to the center of the tree, or to the blaze itself?

Dylan,
Looks to be the kind of evidence you would be searching for. Take a locator to it, sometimes surveyors would set a nail or spike in the blazed area. You should find some evidence of charring, or even scribing, when you open up the bark. You will need a long handle axe.

Cheers.

lots of questions, is this a BT to a PLSS corner set by GLO? or BT to a private corner? How high off the ground? how does it fit? the size could be right for a LO. Open it up, can you read the reverse scribe? Does it face uphill? is there another reason for the scar? Play the negative side and come up with all the reasons to discount it and then can you still accept it?
I can think of several more. Good Luck

This is a private corner, not blazed as part of any GLO survey.

The blaze is approximately 5' off the ground.

This is on a slope with the blaze not oriented up or down slope, though it does face towards the corner I am retracing.

The tree in question does fit very close to where I would expect to find it base on other evidence,

Just to back track a bit: I guess my most basic question: Is what I show in the picture likely a blaze, or likely something else entirely unrelated?

Thanks for the recommendation of the increment borer, I do not own one but now is probably the time to add it to my tool chest.

Do you think this possible blaze and scaring is too young, or too old to be the tree I'm looking for?

I don't run into blazes much either. I'm also curious to learn more about the boring tool.

Landon

I can't offer any advice on the validity of the blaze, but there's no doubt as to the gender of the tree.

.

Woodcutter wrote:A 100 year old blaze can often, but not always, disappear. If it is still evident the bark covering the blaze will show age, such as deeper furrows. Your picture appears to be a scar of more recent vintage. Perhaps the investigative cutting by a retracing surveyor.
But don't discount it. Get a ring count to prove it either way.

BTW. Many oaks start rotting once blazed. Especially certain varieties of live oak.
Also, often oaks that don't rot, heal to a point you can't recognize the blaze.

was about to type the same thing. Here's a picture of a live oak with a rotting blaze in Willits. Also I have a picture (can't find it right now) of another Oak (White) where the blaze has healed over completely

Dylan,
Indeed the trees can heal and the witness can become totally masked over. That is part of the games we play. Remember, they used the witness trees to help followers locate monuments because there were no magnetic locators.

The witness scar would normally point to the corner. There may be other witness trees nearby that are for whatever reason not called for.

Also, as Woodcutter said, the scar looks to be about 35-50 years old based on my own experience recovering these things. But, you are saying the tree fits, you have a scar pointing to your suspected corner. What are the odds? Maybe a retracing surveyor recovered the blaze 40 years ago and what you are seeing is the scar re-opened and healed.

Notice the horizontal hack marks above and below the scar. And you are saying the tree location fits the description? What are the odds?

Also, note that Vance's tree (a great photo) has been recovered time and time again over the decades. Note the growth of the bark around the scar. Also note the nail driven into it and the charring visible. You would see the same charring of the wood if you opened up the bark on your tree and your suspicions turned out to be correct.

You might also look around and notice a couple of additional trees with similar scars pointing to your corner. Old timers in the Santa Cruz mountains seemed to witness several trees once in a while and only call out one or two in the description.

Be careful with that bark. You may have yourself a souvenir. If you feel you need to cut into it.

Cheers.

I beg to differ on that bearing tree i found. My guess based upon the day long hike i had to do up a 1to 1 slope, nobody and i mean nobody ( at leat human) has been to his location in the past 100 years. I was even suprised the GLO surveyors even ran the line. And thats my tag i set in the tree.

Thanks to all for your responses, they've been very informative.