STOMPer Entomologist is concerned about the wide gaps found on the ground at Henderson Waves.
In an email to STOMP today (Jan 29), the STOMPer says:
"The other day I hiked from Alexandra Road to Mt Faber and the journey took me across the Alexandra Arch and the Henderson Waves. Near Preston Road I came across this beautiful rain shelter and decided to take a rest. However there were no benches provided and I had to sit on the floor.
"When I reached Henderson Waves, I saw several tall trees growing out of the ground and the trunks were surrounded by some wrought iron wire mesh. There were wide gaps between the trunk and the wire mesh.
"Children are curious by nature and I shudder to think what would have happened if a child were to step into the gap.
"This gap is an allurement for children and I hope it can be sealed up to prevent an accident from happening."
First of all, any parent irresponsible enough to allow his or her child to wander close to these holes unsupervised probably has no business allowing his or her genes to survive.
Secondly, I presume that the gaps are there so as to provide allowance for the tree to expand its girth as it continues to grow. While I'm not sure if it's an adequate long-term solution (will the tree ever grow to a point where its girth may exceed the space given?), I trust that the people who planned such features have taken a reasonable approach towards reaching a compromise; allowing the trees to develop and mature without having their growth excessively hampered, while refraining from posing any excessive threat to the safety of visitors.
