Bog Oak stack from one farm showing rapid deterioration once excavated

It is important to make clear that not all excavated bog oaks can be preserved in the form of planks intact, most are just left on the side of the fields or some land owners recognise their unique beauty and leave them by the side of footpaths for people to admire.

Unfortunately, they are very fragile when exposed to the elements and so don’t last long. What is so very rare and unique about this particular tree is that on close inspection there were no pockets of rot or evidence of any insect infestation or fungal disease.

To find one this large and in such a good state of preservation is very rare indeed. Due to the fact that what we had was realistically only a small part of a much larger tree we have concluded that when it fell it would have smashed and crushed everything in it’s path and therefore been covered over by the marshy silt of what was once the forest floor. So it’s gigantic size is most likely the reason it was so well preserved.