Hampton Green Homes

The most difficult aspect of recording scarred trees is positively identifying them as the result of deliberate human activity. There are many natural activities which can produce similar scarring-the fall of a large branch, bush fires, poor, rocky soil at the base of the tree which affects its natural growth pattern, or insect or animal activity. Natural scarring is much more common than Indigenous scarring.

As a general rule, scars made by people removing bark tend to be regular in shape and located above ground level, and will often show axe marks or other related evidence. Natural scars are often ragged and uneven, have peaked ends, are strangely placed (i.e. they might be very high up the tree), or extend down to the ground surface. The identification of humanly scarred trees is complicated by the fact that trees continue to grow after scarring.

As the bark around the scar continues to grow, the original edges of the scar close over and are no longer clearly definable and, as the tree grows in height, the height of the scar above ground may also increase. Unfortunately, the older the scar, the greater its exposure to weathering and the harder it will be to interpret. Once a tree has been identified as humanly scarred, you then need to decide whether the scarring results from Indigenous or European activity.

In many cases, early white settlers used bark extensively for containers, shingles or roofs, and in these situations the scars may be indistinguishable from Indigenous scarring. Carved trees are much easier to recognise, since the patterns carved into the heartwood of the tree are unmistakably human.

You should record the same type and range of information for a carved tree as a scarred one, bearing in mind that carved trees were often associated with ceremonial grounds or burial sites, so there may well be other, highly sensitive, archaeological evidence in the vicinity. You should also be aware that European surveyors occasionally marked trees with a half-oval or gothic arch (a surveyor’s shield), containing a broad arrow or carved figures and letters. These are immediately recognisable, but should still be recorded.

Tags: Animal Activity, Archaeological Evidence, Axe, Bush Fires, Scar, Settlers