Henry was very intrigued. "How are we going to measure the trunk without any string?" he asked. Although Charlie had a tool box full of measuring equipment and tools, he had obviously not brought it with him on their walk through the woods.
"Extend your arms out from your sides," Charlie began, "and then go hug that tree!"
Henry was a bit taken aback. "Hug the tree?" he exclaimed. "Whatever for?"
"We need to see how many hug lengths it takes to go right round the tree trunk," explained Charlie, "and then when we get home, we can measure the length of your hug, and multiply it by the number of hugs it takes to go round. That is called the tree's girth. Your hugs need to be about a metre up from the floor so we can avoid the fattest part of the tree at its roots."
