TREE CYCLES investigates the roles of trees in Chicago through  positioning growth, felling, fabrication, decay, and decomposition as a set of active (and normal) urban and ecological processes in a  reconceptualized productive cityscape. We ask: How might we engage the public with demonstrations of urban forestry initiatives and dialogues around the environmental and social benefits of nurturing woodland nurseries while giving space to the rejuvenating effects of decay and decomposition? Through a first rehearsal installation along the south edge of Butler Field and a concurrent installation at the Chicago Cultural Center, we hope to initiate a series of performances that could transform vacant lots throughout the city with ritual and ecological care while simultaneously demonstrating the social and environmental benefits of fuller and  extended urban forestry cycles. 

TREE CYCLES is made up of three primary components, with the Woodland Circle and the ability of the installation to be replicated and distributed throughout other areas of the city. The Woodland Circle is a new growth circular forest installation occupying the south entry lawn of Butler Field, a living counterpoint to the Serra sculpture at the north entry lawn. The TREE CYCLES installation activates an underutilized space beneath the adjacent southern tree allée and brings to life the full cycle of felling, decay, repurposing, and decomposition with rough logs harvested from the city, nurse logs generating new growth and nutrients, and fabricated log seating elements that acknowledge the human dimension and application of raw materials. The Thompson Center installation visualizes the full cycles of growth and decay over time lapse and marries the immediacy and materiality of a living nurse log with databases for  tracking and caring for the urban forest at large.