Good day SuperForest!
Whilst surfing the inter web this fine New York day, this brilliant example of man and nature coming together in a glory of symbiosis made me smile.
In the forests of Northeastern India, in a region known as Cherrapunji, a part of the East Khasi Hills, bridges are grown, not built!
The Ficus Elastica tree is the star of the show. Due to its ability to produce secondary roots further up along the trunk, these bridges become possible. The indigenous people, the War-Khasis, have learned to use this incredible tree to their advantage. Because the region they live in is one of the wettest places on Earth, they needed a safe and stable way of crossing the every rising and falling rivers.
Naturally, the roots spread out to stabilize the tree. In order to control this growth, the Khasis use hollowed out betel-nut trunks to make crude root-guidance systems that force the roots to grow straight out. Once over the river, the roots are returned to the soil.
What a wonderful way to harness the power of nature! None of the gunk associated with building modern bridges! Nature win!
(found at Living Root Bridges via Neatorama)
-jackie
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