Experimenting can be fun at any age. I have contact with an arborist, who spent most of July removing aging Aspen/Poplar from a very large acreage. Scotch Pine and Green Ash on the acreage needed more room.
I harvested two 14 to 15 inch branching sections from one tree, and rough turned two platters. The wood lacked much for distinct character, so I experimented.
We live on Trent Crescent, and our back alley is bordered by two city tree rows. I happen to mulch the area of trees behind our yard with my wood shavings, so have a considerable compost/mulch layer in the trees.
I dug a hole and buried the platter for about two months, wondering how fast moulds would do their design work.
After removal I air dried the platter, and last week, put chisel to wood. The fungi created both grey and a bit of pink spalting. No Painting Required! The finished platter is 13.5 inches wide.
Paul Schroeder
