Redwood Forest Tree Art

Thousands of California Redwood trees stand tall in an Australian forest, planted in neat rows far from their native homeland. Arranged like orderly guards, they tower over the earth, some reaching up to 180 feet high. Sunlight filters through their leaves, dappling the forest floor and illuminating the strange portals and enormous nests scattered about.

Walking through the California Redwood Forest in East Warburton, Australia, is like entering a magical realm. You’ll come across bird nests so large they’d dwarf even dragon eggs and round circles woven from sticks that look like portals into another world. This tree art, built from twigs and branches, adds to the forest’s enchanted feel. It brings a touch of mystical whimsy to a woodland originally planted for practical purposes.

The trees were planted in the 1930s as part of a revegetation program. Arranged in a grid formation, it was hoped they could help control the weeds that had begun to thrive in the previously cleared land. Later, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works used the woodland to study forest hydrology.

Though their studies have since ended, the Redwood Forest still attracts its share of experiments, though these are more artistic in nature. It’s common to find the work of artist David Digapony scattered throughout the trees. His creations, which he makes by weaving together fallen branches, bring a bit of unexpected enchantment to the otherwise orderly forest.