tree well

plural tree wells

1. A hole or depression in the snow around the base of a tree caused by the tree's canopy preventing the accumulation of snow.

   Steer clear of the tree wells. They can be really deep and dangerous.

   2013, Elisabeth Barrett, Christmas in Tahoe, →ISBN

   3 more examples

   First, tree wells are formed when the canopy of a tree prevents snow from accumulating at the base. Tree wells are noted by a deep ring of much shallower snow around the trunk, with walls of snow just beyond the protection of the canopy.

   2012, Eli Burakian, Basic Illustrated Snowshoeing, →ISBN, page 70

   We skied back the way we had come for about thirty minutes when I saw her. Mary was hanging upside down by the tips of her skies from a tree well.

   2014, Inspiring Generations: 150 Years, 150 Stories in Yosemite, →ISBN, page 188

   Townsend hare inhabit this area, particularly above the cabin, and a skier is likely to have one explode from a tree well and disappear into the whiteness as he skis by. Life is a constant bivouac for them -- they spend days huddled in tree wells during storms -- but I suspect they are as content and warm in their luxurious coats as we are in a cabin.

   2014, Patrick Armstrong, The Log of a Snow Survey, →ISBN

   Synonyms: snow well

2. A structure designed to protect the base and roots of a tree, typically used in an urban setting.

   Flat surface tree wells create a cleaner architectural effect where trees appear to grow directly out of the pavement.

   2007, Charles R. Hatch, Trees of the California Landscape, →ISBN

   2 more examples

   A tree well is a great solution to a problem that often arises during excavation of a building, driveway, or road site. When excavated soil is carelessly mounded around the base of a tree, the tree gradually suffocates. Removing this soil from around the trunk and dry-stacking a tree well to retain the soil at a safe distance can save a tree's life.

   1998, David Reed, The Art and Craft of Stonescaping: Setting and Stacking Stone, →ISBN, page 71

   Excavate the soil to a depth of at least 1 metre (3 feet) and make sure that the soil in the tree well or within at least 2 metres (6 feet) of the tree is free of rocks and debris.

   2012, Lisa Mummery Gartland, Heat Islands: Understanding and Mitigating Heat in Urban Areas, →ISBN