We have trunks but never travel. Montana has a variety of trees ranging from the western hemlock and Ponderosa in the high hills, to the birch and spruce of the lower elevations. Of course, much of Montana has no trees at all, but rather miles of rolling prairie, or is above timberline. T hese are some of Montana's trees to look for. The sight of logs with burls in them is a common sight in Montana.
Burls are round, woody growths that grow throughout the forests of Alaska.
They are most often found on northern spruce trees, although they may grow on birch or other trees. Burls are tumors which start out when the tree tissue is stimulated by fungi, insects, or bacteria to form a gall. The gall grows with the tree to become a tumor. The Burl grows each year along with the tree, and the growth rings inside the burl show that it grows faster than the tree. A tree may have one or more burls.