page_title: Tree shaping
section_title: Instant tree shaping
hierarchical_section_title: Tree shaping / Methods / Instant tree shaping
caption_attribution_description: English: A representation drawing of Richard Reames's living bench chair. A group of trees bent into a bench. Created using the techniques as described in Richard Reames's books How to grow a chair and Arborsculpture
context_page_description: Tree shaping uses living trees and other woody plants as the medium to create structures and art. There are a few different methods used by the various artists to shape their trees, which share a common heritage with other artistic horticultural and agricultural practices, such as pleaching, bonsai, espalier, and topiary, and employing some similar techniques. Most artists use grafting to deliberately induce the inosculation of living trunks, branches, and roots, into artistic designs or functional structures.
  Tree shaping has been practiced for at least several hundred years, as demonstrated by the living root bridges built and maintained by the Khasi people of India. Early 20th century practitioners and artisans included banker John Krubsack, Axel Erlandson with his famous circus trees, and landscape engineer Arthur Wiechula. Contemporary designers include "Pooktre" artists Peter Cook and Becky Northey, "arborsculpture" artist Richard Reames, and furniture designer Dr Chris Cattle, who grows "grownup furniture".
context_section_description: Instant tree shaping starts with mature trees,  perhaps 6–12 ft. (2–3.6 m) long and 3-4in (7.6–10 cm) in trunk diameter, which are bent and woven into the desired design   and held until cast. Understanding a tree's fluid dynamics is important to achieving the desired result.
  Bending is sometimes used to achieve a design. If a plant's tissue is bent at too sharp an angle it may break, which can be mostly avoided by un-localizing the bend. This is achieved by making small bends along the curve of the tree. Bends are then held in place for several years until their form is permanently cast. The tree's rate of growth determines the time necessary to overcome its resistance to the initial bending. The work of bending and securing in this way might be accomplished in an hour or perhaps in an afternoon depending on the design.
  Ring barking is sometimes employed to help balance a design by slowing the growth of too-vigorous branches or stopping the growth of inopportunely placed branches, using different degrees of ring barking, from simple scoring to complete removal of a 3/8"-wide (1 cm) band of bark.
  Creasing is folding trees such as willow and poplar over upon themselves, creating a right angle. This method is more radical than bending.
  With this method it is possible to perform initial bending and grafting on a project in an hour, as with Peace in Cherry by Richard Reames, removing supports in as little as a year and following up with minimal pruning thereafter.
caption: Arborsculpture bench by Richard Reames created using the techniques as described in his books How to grow a chair and Arborsculpture
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