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Tree

Considered within limits.

Tree.jpg

What Belongs Here

Tree includes only what enters making:

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  • Olive wood

  • Aleppo pine

  • Eucalyptus

  • Bark, resin, roots, and knots, where they constrain form

 

Tree is considered here only where growth ends and material discipline begins.

Geographic Reality

Tree availability in Tunisia is shaped by climate, cultivation, and history.

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  • Olive is present across most regions, tied to agricultural life cycles rather than forestry.

  • Aleppo pine dominates natural forests along the dorsal mountain chain and interior highlands.

  • Eucalyptus exists only as managed plantations introduced in the mid-20th century.

 

Tree material is uneven, localized, and dependent on species survival rather than continuous supply.

Harvest Conditions

  • Olive wood is harvested only at the end of a tree’s productive life. Healthy fruiting trees are not cut.

  • Aleppo pine is logged through forestry operations, yielding medium logs with frequent knots.

  • Eucalyptus is felled mechanically on rotation and sorted for low-grade or engineered use.

How Tree Behaves

Olive wood

  • Extremely dense and hard

  • Irregular, interlocked grain

  • High movement during drying

  • Warps or cracks if rushed

 
Aleppo pine

  • Moderate strength, low natural durability

  • Frequent knots and resin pockets

  • Fair dimensional stability

  • Decays quickly if untreated

 
Eucalyptus

  • Fast-grown, light hardwood

  • Prone to collapse and internal checking

  • Requires steaming or kiln treatment

  • Becomes usable only after intervention

Secondary Materials

  • Bark is fibrous and brittle, used only when broken down.

  • Resin seals and repels water but remains brittle and impermanent.

  • Knots and roots interrupt grain, concentrate stress, and limit structural use.

Making Implications

  • Large sections are rare.

  • Grain direction governs form.

  • Joints must allow movement.

  • Drying time determines success.

Quality Recognition

  • Olive wood is judged by grain density and absence of checks.

  • Pine is judged by knot frequency and dryness.

  • Eucalyptus is judged by the absence of collapse lines.

  • Resin and bark reveal failure immediately under heat or tension.

Objects Tree Becomes

  • Utensils and bowls

  • Handles and small furniture parts

  • Beams and frames

  • Panels and engineered boards

  • Sealants, fuel, and structural fillers

Longevity & Limits

  • Olive wood lasts decades when kept dry and maintained.

  • Pine endures indoors, fails quickly outdoors if untreated.

  • Eucalyptus lasts only when properly processed.

Position

Tree is not a stable material.
It becomes stable only through restraint.

In Tunisia, it persists because its limits are understood.

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