Olive trees grow very slowly, and for a very long time - 2,000 years old is quite possible. This is why they have this amazing, complicated grain pattern, and sometimes the wild live edge, like Joey here:
The really remarkable thing about Olive trees is that they produce Olives for 2,000 years. These amazing trees are symbols of life, wealth, peace and prosperity in many cultures.
So I was pretty uncomfortable when I started wondering "Gee, are we cutting down 2,000-old trees to make pretty things for people's homes?"
I asked. Our lumberyard guy said "No, every 5-10 years they cut off the tops of the trees so they will grow out instead of up - easier to harvest that way. We get the tops they discard." Whew.
So we'll continue selling clocks made out of this amazing wood.