One morning, a young apprentice named Sarah joined him. She pointed to a particularly gnarled, older tree. "Look at these deep marks," she said, tracing the long, horizontal "slits" that broke through the white, papery surface. "It looks like the tree is tearing itself apart."
arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=791">Paper Birch develop these patterns as they age, or perhaps more about the biological function of lenticels ? mature slits
Elias smiled, adjust his glasses. "Those aren't tears, Sarah. Those are , or more technically, mature lenticels. When a tree is young, its skin is tight and smooth. But as it matures—as its heartwood thickens and it expands to hold more life—the outer bark has to give way. It creates those openings so it can breathe." One morning, a young apprentice named Sarah joined him