• PhlubbaDubba
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    4 months ago

    Is this how the folks in the ganges basin made those tree bridges?

    • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.netOPM
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      4 months ago

      Not exactly; I think that was done by training the aerial roots of ficus.

      I’ve always wanted to try making one of those in North America. It should be possible in Florida and maybe even California.

      • PhlubbaDubba
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        4 months ago

        I imagine you could find away to adapt it for less wet climates, although primarily for pedestrian bridges and bike path bridges.

        Something I think would be nuts would be some sort of national place of ceremony made by growing redwoods together this way, like not just as an art piece, as a full blown gathering place carefully cultivated to be grown out of a network of intermingled plant tissues.

        • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.netOPM
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          4 months ago

          What kind of structure? Like the living bridges you mean?

          Redwoods might to tough to work with because they are extremely gravitotropic—meaning they pretty much only grow up. The reason ficus are used is their aerial roots can be trained in any direction, including sideways. Redwoods also have very thick bark but if you get them to fuse young maybe you can work around that.