What happens when bore damage is found in standing trees?

What happens when bore damage is found in standing trees?

• A. Buyers will ignore bore damage.
• B. Buyers will assume less damage than seen.
• C. Bore damage increases the tree's value.
• D. Buyers will assume that more damage is present than what can be seen, leading to a severe degradation of the tree's value.

Answer: (D)

Visible bore damage signals that there is likely more damage inside the tree than you can see from the outside. In standing trees, you can’t fully evaluate interior wood quality without cutting or core sampling, and borers create galleries and weaken the wood that may extend well beyond the visible holes. Because the amount of internal damage is uncertain, buyers hedge their risk by assuming there is additional unseen damage, which drives a big reduction in value. This is why the tendency is to conclude that more damage is present than what’s visible, leading to a severe drop in the tree’s value.

Visible bore damage signals that there is likely more damage inside the tree than you can see from the outside. In standing trees, you can’t fully evaluate interior wood quality without cutting or core sampling, and borers create galleries and weaken the wood that may extend well beyond the visible holes. Because the amount of internal damage is uncertain, buyers hedge their risk by assuming there is additional unseen damage, which drives a big reduction in value. This is why the tendency is to conclude that more damage is present than what’s visible, leading to a severe drop in the tree’s value.