View source for Bog-wood

{{Short description|Wood from trees preserved in peat bogs}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
'''Bog-wood''' (also spelled '''bogwood''' or '''bog wood'''), also known as '''abonos''' and, especially amongst pipe smokers, as '''morta''',<ref name="What is abonos-morta?">{{cite web|last=Đenović|first=Davorin|title=What is abonos-morta?|date=13 February 2010 |url=http://davorinmortapipes.wordpress.com/what-is-abonos-morta/|access-date=2 December 2013}}</ref> is a material from trees that have been buried in [[peat]] [[bog]]s and preserved from [[Decomposition|decay]] by the [[acid]]ic and [[wikt:anaerobic|anaerobic]] bog conditions, sometimes for hundreds or even thousands of years.  The wood is usually stained brown by [[tannin]]s dissolved in the acidic water. Bog-wood represents the early stages in the [[fossil]]isation of wood, with further stages ultimately forming [[Jet_(lignite)|jet]], [[lignite]] and [[coal]] over a period of many millions of years. Bog-wood may come from any tree species naturally growing near or in bogs, including [[oak]] (''Quercus'' &ndash; "bog oak"), pine (''[[Pinus]]''), yew (''[[Taxus]]''), swamp cypress (''[[Taxodium]]'') and kauri (''[[Agathis]]''). Bog-wood is often removed from fields and placed in [[clearance cairn]]s. It is a rare form of timber that is claimed to be "comparable to some of the world's most expensive tropical hardwoods".<ref name="What is abonos-morta?" /><ref>{{Cite news | title = Huge 5,000-year-old oak unearthed | work = BBC | access-date = 27 September 2012 | date = 26 September 2012 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-19722595 }}</ref>
==Formation process==
Bog-wood is created from the trunks of  trees that have lain in bogs, and bog-like conditions such as lakes, river bottoms and swamps, for centuries and even millennia. Deprived of oxygen, the wood undergoes the process of fossilization.<ref name="What is abonos-morta?" />
Water flow and depth play a special role in the creation of bog-wood. Currents bind the minerals and iron in the water with tannins in the wood, naturally staining the wood in the process. This centuries-long process, often termed "maturation," turns the wood from golden-brown to completely black, while increasing its hardness to such a level that it can only be carved with the use of specialty cutting tools.<ref name="What is abonos-morta?" />
While the time necessary for the oak to transform into bog-wood varies, the "maturation" commonly lasts thousands of years. Due to the ecological reasons mentioned above, no two trunks can be found of the same color.<ref name="What is abonos-morta?" />
==Excavation sites==
[[File:Bog-wood from Sava river, BiH.jpg|thumb|Bog-wood from the Sava River, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]]]
Sites of high quality bog-wood in the world are very rare. In the sites expected to yield it, bog-wood is hard to find, and access to the river bank and its bed is often difficult. Therefore, extensive preparations and the engagement of professional divers are necessary for bog-wood recovery. Bog-wood is located in conditions of total darkness, and its extraction marks its first exposure to light after centuries of entombment.
In England and Ireland, the three main types of bog-wood that can be found are yew, oak and pine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.maureenmcghee.com/about/history-of-bog-oak/|title=History of Irish Bog Oak|last=McGhee|first=Maureen|website=Maureen McGhee|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref> Reserves of the ancient wood can also be found in Russia and Ukraine, where the northern region has a climate favorable to the growth of oak.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.teltinc.com/about-1/|title=OUR PRODUCTS|website=teltinc.com|access-date=31 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911202358/http://www.teltinc.com/about-1/|archive-date=11 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In Croatia, bog-wood is typically found in the valley of the [[Sava|Sava River]] and its tributaries. The age of bog-wood found in Croatian rivers ranges from several hundred years in the southern rivers to the oldest retrieved so far, from the [[Krapina River]], dated at 8290 years old.<ref name="What is abonos-morta?" />
In Serbia, bog-wood over 8,000 years old is found in the valleys of the [[Danube River]], [[Sava|Sava River]] and their tributaries, primarily in the province of [[Vojvodina]].
Saving the wood for further processing is a very delicate matter. Extracted logs must be wrapped in waterproof material and meticulously dried to prevent warping. The process of wood desiccation is complex, and despite great care, most of the raw wood is unsuitable for further processing. For this reason, the price of high quality raw bog-wood is quite high.<ref name="What is abonos-morta?" />
==Aesthetics==
Bog-wood is characterized by natural staining and variations in color, and the direction of growth rings. Well preserved bog-wood is not affected by weather conditions or organisms which would change its strength and appearance.
Semi-dry bog-wood is sometimes of a golden or copper color,<ref>{{cite web|title=What is Bog Oak?|url=http://www.teltinc.com/|website=Telt Inc.|access-date=3 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913232105/http://www.teltinc.com/|archive-date=13 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> or with a tint of some other hue, and is exceptionally hard. Older wood can be completely black, yet possess the rich variations in hue characteristic of “live” wood. This dark hue is a special feature of bog-wood as a construction material, whether it is used for the making of semi-manufactured goods, veneer or planks.<ref name="What is abonos-morta?"/>
==Uses==
[[File:Bogwood Betta.jpg|right|thumb|Bog wood in an aquarium releases tannins into the water, turning the water brown.]]
Because bog-wood can remain free of decay for thousands of years it is of use in [[dendrochronology]], often providing records much older than living trees. Wooden artifacts lost or buried in bogs become preserved as bog-wood, and are important in [[archaeology]].
Bog-wood may be used in [[Woodworking joints|joinery]] to make furniture or [[wood carving]].  Bog-wood sometimes has aesthetically interesting shapes (similar to [[driftwood]]) and may be used as ornaments. As bog-wood dries out, it may crack or split, but this does not necessarily detract from its aesthetic qualities. Due to its natural color, it is a traditionally favored wood for the carving of dirks (''bìodagan'') and ''[[sgian-dubh]]'' in the [[Scottish Highlands]].
Bog-wood is used in [[aquarium|aquaria]] for ornaments, providing hiding places for fish and a growing surface for plants such as [[Microsorum pteropus|Java fern]]. Additionally, the leaching of organic compounds such as tannins into the water causes a brown coloration.
During the nineteenth century bog oak was used to make carved decorative items such as jewelry<ref>{{cite book |title= Fabulous Fakes: A Passion for Vintage Costume Jewelry|last= Tanenbaum|first= Carole|author2=Rita Silvan|year= 2006|publisher= Madison Press|location= Toronto |page= 22}}</ref> and in some parts of the world it is still used to craft unique artifacts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Souvenirs made out of abonos|url=http://abonos-galerija.com/abonos.php?stranica=19|access-date=2 December 2013}}</ref> Prized in the Tudor period for its dark hue, bog oak was used to construct the throne of Peter the Great as well in the construction of Venetian palaces and the bedroom suite of Louis XIV.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bog Oak History|url=http://royaloakglobal.com/BogOakHistory.aspx|website=Royal Oak|access-date=3 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923224651/http://royaloakglobal.com/BogOakHistory.aspx|archive-date=23 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Curran & Sons Throne Chair|url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/28295/throne-chair|website=Royal Collection Trust|access-date=3 September 2016}}</ref>
[[File:Bog-wood souvenirs.jpg|thumb|Souvenirs made out of morta / bog-wood]]
[[File:Morta tobacco pipe.JPG|thumb|Tobacco pipe made of morta / bog-wood]]
One of the uses of bog-wood is for making of [[tobacco pipe]]s. It is an ideal material because of a high percentage of minerals, reaching up to 12%, which makes bog-wood especially resistant to burning. Because underground currents erase all traces of tannin, resin and similar ingredients in bog-wood, pipes constructed of the ancient wood provide a neutral taste during tobacco smoking. Due to the challenges of extraction and processing, today there are a relatively small number of pipemakers who make pipes out of bog-wood.<ref name="What is abonos-morta?"/>
In addition to pipes, bog-wood has traditionally been used to construct decorative objects and items for everyday use. It has also been utilized as a tonewood in the construction of high-end guitars. Today, modern drying techniques have made it possible to preserve larger planks of bog oak that are suitable for floor coverings, furniture, doors, window frames, and sculptures.<ref name="What is abonos-morta?" />
==See also==
*[[Substrate (aquarium)|Aquarium substrates]]
*[[Driftwood]]
*[[Mopane]] wood, recovered from deserts and often sold as an alternative to bogwood for aquaria; it is sometimes incorrectly labelled as bogwood or charred bogwood.
*[[Swamp kauri]]
*[[Sweet Track]], a timber causeway in Somerset, England, its timbers preserved in waterlogged ground for over 5,800 years.
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Bog-wood}}
{{wiktionary|bogwood}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071118224335/http://www.ipcc.ie/infobogwood.html Irish Peatland Conservation Council] - Information sheet on bogwood and its formation in Irish peat bogs.
{{Forestry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bog-Wood}}
[[Category:Aquariums]]
[[Category:Bogs]]
[[Category:Dendrology]]
[[Category:Fishkeeping]]
[[Category:Organic gemstones]]
[[Category:Wood]]
[[Category:Wood-related terminology]]