Tag Archives: Tree

That’s a Big Log!

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Seeing logs on the shore is not unusual.  Plenty of logs get washed ashore.  However, when taking a walk along the beach at Shoreline over the holidays, there was a tree trunk that had become lodged on the water’s edge.  It had become wedged in amongst some piles in the water with the roots of the log still out in the water.  Usually the logs appear to have been cut but this was a tree that had got washed out into the sound.  Everyone was taking a look at it or climbing out on to it.  It was pretty big and finding a way to convey the size was something I pondered at length.

Tree Stumps on the Beach (With Frost)

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Walking along Long Beach in Tofino early in the morning, it was still pretty cold.  The lack of wind meant it was perfectly comfortable in the sun but the air temps were low.  The result was lots of frost on the tree stumps that were scattered along the beach.  The texture of the cross section of the wood was already accentuated by weathering but the addition of the frost provided a bit more emphasis to the surface.

 

Log Feeding New Life

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I am regularly fascinated by the way in which a fallen tree will be the source of food for new plants.  The decaying wood releases nutrients and provides a great base for the next generation.  Of course, as it decays further, the base may gradually disappear from under them.  In the interim, though, any number of plants will sprout and develop.  I came across one such log in Meerkerk Gardens.  It seemed to be home to any number of new plants (and that ignores the insect species that were, no doubt, hard at work on its surface).

Beach Driftwood

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Wood on the shoreline is usually pretty interesting from a texture perspective.  Spending a bunch of time in the water getting beaten by waves and any other debris in the water tends to smooth out the surfaces and also emphasize the flaws in the structure of the wood.  I saw a bunch of wood on the beach at Shoreline when walking along the shore there and one in particular caught my eye.

A Cool Tree

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On my route to work each day, I pass by a great looking tree.  I first saw it in the spring when there was blossom to make it look even better.  In fact, what I thought was one tree is actually two.  There is a smaller tree in front of the trunk that makes it look like a very thick trunk whereas it is really a normal size.  However, from the right angle and early in the morning when the sun is on it, the thing looks beautiful.  Sadly, the fire hydrant spoils things a touch!

Training a Tree

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I have seen full sized trees being trained or supported with structures put in place to keep their growth where intended.  I had never thought about it being applied to bonsai though.  However, while trimming is a key part of shaping a bonsai, there are more direct approaches like wiring along branches to keep them going as intended.  A close look at some of the exhibits at the Pacific Bonsai Museum showed how this was done.  The clever bit was that these additions were not so conspicuous and didn’t ruin the appearance of the tree.

Logging on a Big Scale

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Before tourism became a big feature of Snoqualmie, it was a logging town.  Much of the Pacific Northwest was in the lumber business providing vast amounts of timber to the country as a whole.  Lumber is still important but it is nowhere near the business it once was.  The trees they were cutting in those days were very old and had grown to significant dimensions.  As they cut through the growth, the trees they were cutting were getting smaller.  In the center of the town they have an exhibit that includes a stand that was used for cutting the timber.  In it is included a log.  This thing is huge.  Bear in mind that they were often much larger than this and you will see just what sort of trees they were cutting in those days.

What a Tree!

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Rain forest conditions produce plants that are uniquely able to exploit the environment.  This tree was like something out of a fantasy movie.  I think it was one plant but, to be honest, there would be no obvious way to tell where one ended and another started if it proved to be two or more.  The branches and roots were spread everywhere.  It really did seem like something that should come alive at some point and just envelope the unwary traveler.  It was dark and creepy underneath its canopy.  I found myself fascinated with it and looking at it from every different direction.  The sad part was that it was really hard to find a shot that really conveyed the feeling you had when there.

Coin Tree

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C59F2066.jpgI’m not sure whether to categorize this as in interesting oddity or vandalism. While walking in the Lakes, we came across this tree. At a distance I thought it was an interesting type of bark but, once you get closer, it is clear that the tree has coins jammed into the surface. I have no idea how or when this started or even why it did. Obviously, a lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon and now there are so many coins embedded in the wood that I couldn’t see the point of even trying to estimate how many there were. Instead, we just checked the whole thing out and then went on our way.

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