Tree-rings of this kind were a characteristic element of designed demesne landscapes, typically planted by landed estates during the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries, when the manipulation of natural forms into geometric or picturesque arrangements was considered both an aesthetic and a social statement. Unlike a shelter belt or a timber crop, a tree-ring served no strictly practical purpose; it was planted to be seen, often positioned on a rise or in an open field where its outline would register clearly against the sky.