Beetle Scars in Philippine Mahogany

Scars, generally called “worm” or “vine scars”, have been found in conspicuous quantities in red lauan, white lauan, bagtican, and almon species classified as Philippine mahogany. Investigation indicates that the defects are caused by wood borers, probably beetles. The elliptical cross section with the short direction along the radius is similar to tunnels cut by beetles which start under the bark so that only half the tunnel penetrates the wood; the frequent origin of the tunnels at knots suggests that a broken limb provided entry to the cambium layer, and the distorted wood forming the scar appears to be nature’s way of bridging the gap made by the organism as the tree continued to grow.

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