A fungal disease that causes decay in the central heartwood of trees, making the wood weak and crumbly from the inside.
From 'heart' plus 'rot,' referring to decay that specifically affects the heartwood (the dense inner wood) of trees. This is a straightforward descriptive term from forestry and plant pathology.
Trees have a 'heart' of wood in their center just like we have hearts—and like us, if that central part gets diseased, the whole structure becomes weak, which is why foresters worry about heartrot compromising a tree's structural integrity.
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