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LOML wants one of those too.
Making the bench is easy. Supporting it around something that grows up & out or having posts in a known rooted area is an entirely different discussion.
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Location: New Zealand
Quote:
By the way, doesn't the diameter of the tree eventually outgrow the opening in the bench? I know it's slow, but assume that's different for different species. I've often wondered about structures built around living trees.
Yes. but you can leave a decent gap. 6" on a tree that's growing 1/4" a year gives you ~24 years. Time to build a new one after that.
I'm working with the same issue at the wife's Kindy. They had a nice wooden deck build around the sand put, with some small flowering cherry trees growing through the deck. Looks nice, and quite practical for some summer shade. But they can't have a gap that a 3 year old can stick a foot in and get trapped.
So after a year they trees are getting too big for the holes. I've trimmed the boards back once, but it's a pain because of the tight space, trying not to damage the tree, and everything being full of sand.
It now needs doing again so I'm going to hack a decent size hole, and make a removable collar with a trunk size hole. Then I can unscrew it and make the hole bigger each year... Once the trees outgrow that, the deck will be due for a rebuild anyway.
