Devil's stovepipe

A devil's stovepipe or decomposition chimney is a hole formed when a tree, that has been buried by an encroaching sand dune, decomposes.

This cylinder of bark keeps the surrounding sand from collapsing in and thus creates a void, an unexpected occurrence in such an unstable medium.

Depending on the size of the tree from which it formed and its surface visibility, a devil's stovepipe may be quite dangerous.

For areas with large stovepipes there is a danger of suddenly becoming buried under significant quantities of sand.

Devil's stovepipes are mentioned as a hazard in the novel Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey.

Hikers moving onto a dune encroaching on a forest in the Oregon Dunes . In time this may lead to devil's stovepipes in the area.