Bole (noun): the trunk of a tree. The part of the tree between the roots and the main branching area is called the "bole". The bole itself is made up of 5 parts: outer bark, inner bark, cambium, sapwood, and heartwood. A bole serves many roles in an ecosystem:
- a site of tree cavities for animals;
- a source of food for bark beetles;
- a shield for squirrels trying to escape a hawk;
- the best back-scratcher ever for bears (or humans!);
- a future source of food for wood-decomposing fungi and arthropods;
- shade for any number of creatures in the summer;
- support for upholding branches, and
- a passageway for moving sugars, nutrients and water between the leaves and roots of a tree.
We think boles are incredible!