Strange funus? growth, any ideas?

[MrHairy]

Hello, Does anyone on here know what this is?

It was cut from an ash tree I think. It's a few years old now, just one of my strange things found during my forestry course.

The branch was about an two inches in diameter and the growth is about ten inches at it's widest point. I cut the ends of to see the cross section.

 

 

 

 

 

[sloth]

What an awesome growth. I've seen similar on ash, but not with so much bark included. I'd say it's a burr of some kind, but are those grub/beetle tunnels in the last two pics?

[MrHairy]

What an awesome growth. I've seen similar on ash, but not with so much bark included. I'd say it's a burr of some kind, but are those grub/beetle tunnels in the last two pics?

 

Yes, but woodworm holes only appeared a few years after it was cut, so don't think they were the cause.