Strangler Fig

[STAR]

I wonder if any body has ever carved some Strangler Fig. looking at Dusteater's octopus from a Grass tree ( Black boy ) made me have a second look at a tree on my property that has a Strangler wrapped around one of its limbs.

I have been tempted to take the limb off for some time because it is in an awkward place and the tree needs tidying up.

Pete

[Carvin' Mark]

I once carved a section of some type of strangler driftwood off a beach on the New Zealand west coast. The host tree had rotted out and the wood was very solid and hard- I was hand carving with less than ideally sharp knives tho. No idea how long it'd been on the beach or in the water tho. Made a drum out of it and it has survived all sorts of travelling knocks and bangs with nary a ding.

[Robson Valley]

Pete, there's one sure way to find out. Just a little "foreign" to me here at 53N. Maybe walking/hiking poking-at-things-on-the-ground sticks, canes. Possibly some lovely tropical bird stretch-carved into the top. Didn't somebody do a great stick with little tree frogs on it?

[STAR]

Thanks for the reply Mark and Robson,.

I have been looking at this tree for a few years now. I may have described it wrong. It is actually a large vine but I thi9nk it is still the Strangler fig, if not a large Strangler Vine that is like a giant python wrapping around its prey.

It is now larger than a mans forearm so thought that maybe It could be made into something useful with the trunk of its prey incorporated too. Must be something less gruesome i can do with it if it is carvable.

otherwise it along with the trunk will finish in my fireplace. No wood gets wasted here. AT $12 for 20kgs firewood is expensive here, fortunately I do not have to buy it as I have some on my property and my mate has ten acres of a heavily laden trees.

Pete

[Robson Valley]

I should have asked what sizes of pieces might you expect to get.

Must be satisfying to toss termite infested logs into the fireplace!
While it isn't pretty to watch, my pellet stove runs on mostly pine, I think.
I burned 5 tons = 10,000lbs (approx 4700kg?) of compressed pellets last winter.
That was $250/ton, half the cost of heating my home by any other means.

Anyway, go strangle a fig.

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