Understanding Tree Morphophysiology with Stefania Gasperini & Giovanni Morelli

Saturday 18 October

8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Location: To be confirmed

Price: $270 USD + GST (approx. $450 NZD + GST)

Join a workshop looking at the study of morphophysiology – the biological relationship between shape and function – through the stages of a tree’s development leading to a crucial understanding of trees from the point of view of their assessment and their management.

Learn about the form of the tree as a transitory result of the relationship of each specimen with the context in which it is inserted. We will illustrate the principles of tree architecture by defining the concept of the architectural model (from Francis Hallé) and from this we will arrive at the concept of architectural unit, the lowest common denominator of the tree form, capable of describing the organisation of the young tree. We will also emphasise how form is also an expression of how the tree functions in energetic, hormonal and mechanical terms. The study of this relationship forms the theoretical basis of morphophysiology.

Thanks to morphophysiology, through the study of a tree's current form, its past can be understood and its future evolution, both natural and as a consequence of human activity, can be predicted.