Feeding Trees

Before they decide to feed themselves.

 

That fence must have been up a good while.

 

No, the tree just crept up on it overnight, it took offence to it.

 

Fantastic pic, Zigs, and a great illustration of what is referred to by tree professionals as the 'axiom of uniform stress'. This basically says that a tree is a self-optimising biomechanical structure that will react to external pressures and forces placed upon it in a way that negates the harmful effects. In the picture above the tree has made a larger surface area so that the force of the fence acting upon it is lessened.

 

For lots of trees eating all sorts of stuff http://hungrytrees.com/ (keep clicking on 'OLDER POSTS' at the bottom right hand corner for more pics)

 

We lost an ancient Beech 2 years ago after gales.My chainsaw discovered the tree had at 1 time been used as a fencing stob. About 18 inches into the trunk of this massive tree I hit fencing wire,much swearing and chain wrecked. There was absolutely no sign of the tree having been inconvenienced in the slightest having "eaten" the wire and it wasn't the cause of it falling.

 

This 200 year old tree is reputed to have "swallowed" an iron circular seat.



Those benches had better watch out then!

 

I'm always been nervous about cutting into anything low down from a fence line zone, but luckily have always spotted engulfed wire, staples, nails, etc. so far.

 

So am Scrungee but on this occasion there was absolutely no evidence that a foreign body was lurking to cause the air to be blue. The wire was so far into the tree just never saw it. After the annoying discovery I gingerly sawed further down the trunk and found another 3 strands. OMG the wire farmers used to use is about twice as thick as modern stuff and despite being about 100 years old was still in very good condition...much better than the chain on my saw post discovery!!!

 

When my daughter was younger we'd show her this - 'the tree that eats metal'.

 

isn't Mammy Nature just amazing!