Source KATU News Website
Tree 'eating' trail sign
by bryandorr
Posted on: Apr 12, 2010 at 8:58 PM PDT
Channel: Off the Wall
By Bryan Dorr
April 12, 2010, 8:38 p.m. PST
April 12, 2010, 8:38 p.m. PST
COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE, Ore.-Ever wondered why trail signs are now mounted on heavy duty, pressure treated wooden posts, and not simply nailed to a tree?
Trail wayfinder signs in the past were simply nailed to a tree. As the years go by, the tree trunk's diameter expands and wraps itself around the sign.
Another problem with tree-mounted signs is the height that it is mounted. On some trees, signs mounted at eye level around six feet would eventually end up much higher in the air over the years, making it easy for hikers to miss.
Signs do not get higher as a tree grows since trees to not grow that way. As a tree grows it adds height at the top. The lower sections simply expand out horizontally as new layers of growth are added. Signs don't get higher.
ReplyDelete^^ Quoted for truth! Trees grow outward at a given point on the trunk, not upward.
ReplyDelete