Question for you folks

[bggc]

Iv been asked to provide and cement in the ground 4 tree stems at a school as part of a Forest Schools project. They need to stand about 7 ft high and be approx 6-8 inch diameter. The purpose of the trees would be to provide a point at which to tie a tarp to so the kiddies can sit beneath and take outdoor lessons, also they need to be more natural looking instead of just using tantalised posts from the local landscaping supplier.

 

My questions are, which trees should I select? and if I put them in the ground green will I get shrinkage as the tree seasons over time thus making the trees unsteady in their holes.

 

My first thoughts would be Alder, for obvious reasons, but I'd appreciate any more thoughts from fellow Arbtalkers on how they would go about it.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Tom D]

Oak branch wood, shave the sapwood off the bottom 2 - 3 foot and bury that.

[woodyguy]

Alder will rot very quickly. Oak or Sweet chestnut would be my choices (no need to scrape anything with SC)