Climate
Spears of Influence
A community climate project preserving the carbon of a dying 125 year-old Big Leaf Maple through trunk preservation and reuse of the wood. The 150 foot tree was reduced to 30 foot strumps that should stand for decades. he logs from the 8 massive trunks were given to small local sawmills to make furniture.
Location: Fairfax, CA
Sponsors: Watershed Sculpture, Firesafe Marin (2024 Grant)
Sky Opening
A reforestation installation in an aging monoculture. Carbon stewardship is promoted through the facilitation of natural forest regeneration processes without clear-cutting.
Location: Interlochen, Michigan
Sponsors: Interlochen Art Academy, Michigan State Arts Council
Photographes: Mary O’Brien, Chris Hintz
Carbon-in-a-Crate
A carbon stewardship project for aged trees and large timbers. Following scientific data, we imagine a methodology for storing and preserving the carbon in large downed trees using readily available standard steel shipping containers.
Sponsors: Loghaven Artist Residency, Knoxville, Tennessee
Research: Mary O’Brien, Ning Zeng: (“Carbon Sequestration via Wood Burial”), University of Maryland
Model and drawings: Daniel McCormick
Line of Defense
Countering sea level rise through proactive reforestation techniques. Using recycled crab traps to prevent invasive special predation on Bald Cypress seedlings, this methodology assists the community in planting hundreds of tree seedlings easily from boats.
Sponsors: Tulane University Center for Bioremediation, Delta Discovery Tours, A Studio in the Woods
Location: Venice, Louisiana
Photographers: Mary O’Brien, Richie Blink