Niwot Historical Society lecture rooted in modified trees

The poignant Shel Silverstein book, The Giving Tree, speaks to the gradual, but ultimate sacrifice a tree makes for a little boy. This month's Niwot Historical Society's lecture topic of Culturally Modified Trees (CMT) is close to that premise, but it displays more respect, and there's no unhappy ending.

Archaeologist Marilyn Martorano has been studying the phenomenon of CMTs since the mid-1970s. Fresh out of college, Martorano was tasked with surveying in the Rio Grande Forest. She said she "wanted to learn everything" about animals and plants, and to be completely aware of her surroundings while she was there. When she spotted some old growth Ponderosa Pines with thick scars, her curiosity was piqued.

That inquisitiveness and her subsequent research led to learning that the Kutenai Indians would use the inner bark of these trees for food. Martorano began to record the CMTs she found just as archaeologists would do when they found clay pots or stone tools.

"They're really living artifacts," Martorano said. "I just got interested in them and as we walked around, I kept seeing more and more."

Fascination with the subject led Martorano to write her master's thesis at CSU on how cultures have used the bark of Ponderosa Pine trees. This month's Niwot Historical Society's lecture, presented by Martorano, is titled "Culturally Modified Trees - Can you imagine being so hungry you would eat the bark off a tree?"

CMTs are defined as any tree that exhibits human alterations such as peeling, delimbing, and the removal of large slabs. Trail blazes, miner's claim signs, and arborglyphs are other modifications to trees, and Martorano will touch on those too.

Using photos and slides, Martorano's presentation will delve into methods for researching when, how, by whom, and why trees were modified, as well as pointing out nearby places to find some wonderful examples of CMTs.

Native Americans saw their environments as being abundant with resources that aided in survival, including trees. Martorano said that trees are like "mini Seven-Elevens." This lecture will unveil the many ways in which a live tree's components were used. For instance, what methods are used to prepare bark for consumption and how does it taste?

Beyond providing the primary human need of sustenance, the inner and outer bark of trees can yield elements that are used for medicinal remedies and adhesives. Slabs of bark were used for household items and other functional purposes.

We often walk by CMTs without realizing it, Martorano said. It's not difficult to differentiate intentional human modifications from signs of animal or lightning damage and Martorano's presentation will describe what to look for so you'll spot them more easily. For instance, the average size scar is close to one-and-a-half feet wide and four feet high.

What happens to the health of a tree after it's been peeled? Interestingly, Martorano said trees heal themselves, and it's rare that a tree will die as a result of being modified. In fact, trees have been peeled repeatedly and not suffered as a result.

Separating science from fiction, Martorano will dispel the misleading parable that has recently become intriguing to the public, that of what some have dubbed Ute Prayer Trees. "It's a fiasco," Martorano said.

Martorano's prior lecture for the Niwot Historical Society was on lithophones, which are ancient musical instruments made out of rock. A Registered Professional Archaeologist, Martorano has more than 40 years of experience in cultural resource management in the Rocky Mountain region and is the principal archaeologist of Martorano Consultants, LLC, in Longmont. She's won many awards in the field of archaeology including the 2015 Colorado State Archaeologist's Award for her work on CMTs and the 2020 Stephen H. Hart Award for her research on lithophones at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

This lecture can be found online beginning Friday, April 16, and will join four other Niwot Historical Society presentations put online in 2020. Visit http://www.NiwotHistoricalSociety.org and YouTube under the search term Niwot Historical Society (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8DuQWQk-h6nJ6YQOliiqZQ.