Arborglyph

Arborglyphs, dendroglyphs, silvaglyphs, modified cultural trees, or aspen carvings are tree carvings made in the bark of Aspen trees by Basque and Irish American shepherds throughout the Pacific Northwest and Western United States. They have been documented across northern California and in areas like Boise, Idaho and Steamboat Springs, Colorado.^[1]

A project run by the USDA Forest Service in 1997 to record and study arborglyphs in the Fremont National Forest of Oregon is documented here

Researchers in Boise, Idaho have also reportedly documented arborglyphs in their local area.^[2]

In the West the preferred carving tree is the aspen, which has a lifespan of only about 85 years on average.

References

1. ^ Kelly Bastone, "Aspen Diaries", "Steamboat Magazine", Summer 2005
2. ^ John Bieter, the executive director of the Cenarrusa Center for Basque Studies at Boise State University, inspects an Aspen

• J. Mallea-Olaetxe, Speaking Through the Aspens: Basque Tree Carvings in California and Nevada', (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2000)
• James B. Dekorne, Aspen Art in the New Mexico Highlands, (Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press, 1970).