Page 7 - 3 Methods of Tree Shaping

Cons Aeroponic root shaping

• No images of progress - We were first told about this concept in 2004
by the CEO of plantware.org Ezekiel Golan when he tried to enlist us
into designing and growing a fig house for Plantware. Going by their lat-

est press release about the concept, there should be photos of the liv-
ing house prototype by now. With tree shaping we have found the most Aeroponic root shaping
common reason people don’t show photos of their project’s progress

beyond the initial images or digital renders is because the concept or
project didn’t work out as planned.
• Muscle wood - When Ezekiel was visiting our forest he explained

about fig roots having a one way muscle that can shorten by at
least 10%. We since have observed this in our own fig forest. This

shortening would distort any planned design.
• Most roots don’t like growing above ground - Treenovation are
trying to grow different tree species roots, they have commented to us about

Australian gums. These trees don’t naturally grow with their roots hanging
in the air and once planted into a design will have trouble with the roots

drying out.
• Trees are starving for light - This process seems to be forgetting that
trees need a large canopy to trunk ratio. Trees need this because light is

their food. Once you have a large group of trees together some grow to
dominate and shade the others starving them of light which slows their
growth eventually killing the most shaded.

The two other processes (Gradual tree shaping and Instant tree

shaping) are at the opposite ends of the tree shaping scale.
With Pooktre’s technique, which is one form of gradual tree shaping, the tree is

guided as it grows and at the other end is the Instant Arborsculpture process,
which is basically pleaching.

For example if someone was to braid three already formed branches as

one braids hair, creating an instant shape, this would be Arborsculpture but
not Pooktre. If Pooktre wanted to grow a braid, growth pathways and framing
would be put in place first, then over the next season the new growth of a

seedling would be trained along the pathways creating the braid.

To go into more detail...

7