CORDOVA, S.C. — An unusual find was made by the Cordova Fire Department over the weekend. They responded to a call of a reported downed tree on Sunday and after cutting it, found a shape resembling the state of South Carolina.
When they arrived at the scene, they found a pecan tree blocking traffic on Dunn Road. Firefighters removed the tree and cut it into pieces. That's when they made this interesting discovery of a tree with a mark in it resembling the shape of South Carolina.
“It’s not something that you typically see. Typically, when you cut open a tree, it’s lines, just from the age. Circles. Maybe a spot here and there, but nothing that usually resembles anything -- and especially that resembles something close to home obviously being the state of South Carolina," said Martha Giacomarro of the Cordova Fire Department.
Although it may appear to be a freak of nature, the South Carolina Forestry Commission says this is actually more common than people may realize.
“It’s not uncommon when someone is falling a tree and then to look at the cross section to see different designs in the tree, especially if it were diseased ahead of time, there’s a good chance on this tree that it was diseased," said forest stewardship coordinator Chisolm Beckham.
The Cordova Fire Department plans to preserve the tree at its station, using it to make a bench or a clock.
“We go on a lot of different calls. Some that weigh heavier than others so it’s kinda nice to be able to have a positive memory to look back on," said Giacomarro.