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How does oleoresin help protect a tree after its trunk is injured?
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Essential oil
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When a tree trunk is injured, oleoresin—a semifluid substance composed of resins dissolved in turpentine oil—exudes from the wound. This substance serves as a protective mechanism for the tree by sealing the site of the injury. As the volatile components of the oleoresin evaporate, the remaining compounds harden into a substance known as rosin, which effectively covers and protects the exposed heartwood and sapwood from external environmental threats.1