The useless tree’s gnarled shape is the shape of care itself

Evidence

The shape of the useless tree does more than just protect it from the carpenter; it is also the shape of care, of branching out over the thousands of animals who seek shelter, thus providing the grounds for life itself. I want to imagine a whole forest of useless trees, branches densely interwoven, providing an impenetrable habitat for birds, snakes, lizards, squirrels, insects, fungi, and lichen. And eventually, through this generous, shaded, and useless environment might come a weary traveler from the land of usefulness, a carpenter who has laid down his tools. Maybe after a bit of dazed wandering, he might take a cue from the animals and have a seat beneath an oak tree. Maybe, for the first time ever, he’d take a nap. — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, 33

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Strongly resonates with ‘Grafting & Growth: On Trees as Infrastructure’ — the useless tree as antipode to tool-use, tree-as-shelter not tree-as-resource.