weird tree trunk

[BubblePopScott]

Anyone know what's going on with my cherry? The tree died about a year ago and I finally got the chainsaw out to remove the trunk and saw that the trunk had dry soft wood in the centre of the trunk. Kinda like balsa wood? Is this what killed the tree?

 

[Potawatomi13]

Inner pattern of old wood die off. Cherry trees short lived/rot prone in this dead heart wood. Was upper trunk full of Woodpecker holes? Folks had flowering one riddled by Sapsuckers. Killed it!

 

[BubblePopScott]

Inner pattern of old wood die off. Cherry trees short lived/rot prone in this dead heart wood. Was upper trunk full of Woodpecker holes? Folks had flowering one riddled by Sapsuckers. Killed it!

Thank you, no woodpeckers where I live. Must be some type of rot

 

[Shibui]

The soft wood is a result of some sort of wood rotting fungi but that may be a secondary infection. may not be what killed the tree. Many trees can survive with the heart wood rotted out. You may have seen some of the famous tall trees with hollow trunks but still alive for many years.
Unfortunately cherries are prone to many diseases that can kill them.