Glossary term
What is Compartmentalization?
Short answer
Compartmentalization is a tree's way of walling off a wound so decay stays in one area and does not spread.
Compartmentalization, explained for tree service owners
Compartmentalization is how a tree responds to injury. Instead of healing the damaged wood, the tree builds chemical and physical walls around it to keep decay from spreading to healthy wood. The idea is often shown in a model called CODIT, short for compartmentalization of decay in trees. This is why a tree can live for years with a rotten spot. For a tree service owner, it is a helpful idea for explaining pruning. Small, clean cuts at the branch collar are easier for a tree to wall off than big wounds or flush cuts. Large cuts, topping and torn bark leave much more damage for the tree to contain, so keep cuts small where you can.
Related terms
- Branch collar
Branch collar is the slightly swollen ring of tissue at the base of a branch where it joins the trunk or a larger limb.
- Crown reduction
Crown reduction is a pruning method that makes a tree's top smaller by cutting branches back to side branches, instead of topping.
- Epicormic sprouts
Epicormic sprouts are thin shoots that grow from buds on the trunk or old branches, often after stress or heavy pruning.
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