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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/wood-heartwood-darker

Which part of a log is usually darker and more decay resistant?

The heartwood, the older core wood.

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  1. Heartwood ✔
  2. Sapwood
  3. Earlywood

Why: Heartwood cells no longer take part in the tree's life. They often hold gums, resins and other materials that darken the wood and help it resist decay. Sapwood is paler and decays more easily.

Huh, didn't know that: In red oak and white oak the pale sapwood band is roughly 1 to 2 inches wide.

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How can you tell that a tree is a dogwood tree? By its bark!
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References

Answer: Heartwood. Heartwood cells no longer take part in the tree's life. They often hold gums, resins and other materials that darken the wood and help it resist decay. Sapwood is paler and decays more easily.

  1. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material, FPL-GTR-282 (USDA Forest Products Laboratory, 2021) research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/62200
    Heartwood may contain phenolic compounds, gums, resins, and other materials that usually make it darker and more decay resistant than sapwood.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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