Timothy,
Great subject for a b&w presentationi - excellent choice here. The subject is fascinating - at least for those of us who love everything there is about trees, roots, leaves, bark, etc., etc.
This has a darkness, an almost eerie mood which is triggering the imagination. This reminds me and I find similar to an image by Igor in the recent past. check it out.
I agree with the comment about the bright pieced that are “showing through”. On the one hand, it is like a window to another place - even adding some depth. then again, regular image thinking says that the bright things are eye magnets and taking the viewer away from the main subject.
This image is all about the main root structure and that “window” area on the left, and honestly the entire left 1/3 or so of the image isn’t adding to the overall impression. so an option would be to crop off the left (rather than dealling with it in processing). I think the result is just as powerful cropped as it is uncropped.
Great job on the tones and presentation. a terrific find and capture.
Lon