+
popular

Woodworker mesmerizes millions by crafting a US map out of each state's official tree

Justin Davies has awakened a deep, latent fascination with trees people didn't even know they had.

trees, wood, woodworking, justin davies

Justin Davies shares his official state tree U.S. map woodworking project on TikTok.

Did you know that there are around 73,000 species of trees in the world?

Most of us go about our days surrounded by trees that just sort of sit in the background of our lives, quietly providing beauty, shade, oxygen, a home for wildlife and more, without us giving them a whole lot of thought.

But it appears that a whole bunch of us have a deep, latent fascination with trees and wood, based on how people have responded to Justin Davies' unique state tree U.S. map project. Davies, who goes by @justinthetrees on TikTok, has spent months crafting a stunning wall map of the U.S. using wood from the official tree of each state, and he has gained more than a million followers doing it.


Davies tells Upworthy the map idea was one he'd held onto for years, ever since a run on a trail sparked his interest in woodworking.

"While out on a trail run I noticed a tree I'd probably passed thousands of times without really noticing it," he says, "and was struck by how little I knew about it. Didn't know what kind of tree it was, didn't even know its name. And I spend a lot of time out in the wilderness out here in Utah, so it made me just feel really disconnected from the natural places that surround me.

"So I got home and just started digging online until I found the type of tree it was, and I was kinda blown away by how fascinating I found everything I discovered. The properties of the tree, where it grows, its many traditional indigenous uses, and one of the big things was that I just really wanted to know what its wood looked like."

Davies' curiosity led him down a creative path that eventually moved him away from a 12-year marketing career and toward creating content focused on trees. Oddly enough, it's been a great move.

"When I meet new people and tell them I make content about trees, I often get a response like, 'Trees? Really??' with a raised eyebrow, implying I've never thought about trees before in my life, that sounds boring," he says. "But you very quickly discover that it takes almost nothing to help people realize they do find trees to be fascinating. Everyone has a tree they love from their childhood. Everyone has types of trees that make them feel at home. So it's been fun to see that kind of response happen at such a massive scale."

Davies spent around eight months creating his official state tree map, making a video for each piece in which he shares scientific and historical information about each tree, how Indigenous peoples have used them and interesting anecdotes about them. As it progressed, the map project morphed into a community endeavor, with people from all over the country sending him pieces of the kinds of wood he needed from each state to complete it.

Here is Davies sharing the finished map, which is the best place to start. This video offers a glimpse of the work and community support that went into this project, as well as Davies' genuine likability that keeps people coming back.

@justinthetrees

Thanks for making this project possible! You’re the best #trees #statetreemap #thankyou

As Davies said, he isn't actually done. He has also made different countries and Canadian provinces out of native wood, and has started making a whole new larger U.S. map for his followers on YouTube (since the vertical format for video on TikTok isn't really compatible with YouTube).

And to get a taste of what's caused millions of people to tune in each time he revealed a new state, here's the video from the final state he made, Missouri.

@justinthetrees

Reply to @eawilliams1s get to know a state tree: Missouri’s flowering dogwood #trees #woodworking #missouri #statetreemap #learnontiktok #dogwood

Check out Georgia, which attracted nearly 13 million viewers:

@justinthetrees

Reply to @djunamars get to know a state tree: Georgia’s Southern Live Oak #trees #woodworking #georgia #learnontiktok #map #liveoak #statetreemap

And how about Florida, whose official tree is only kind of, sort of a tree (same goes for South Carolina, whose state tree is also a palmetto):

@justinthetrees

Reply to @draphra get to know a state tree: Florida’s Sabal Palm #trees #woodworking #florida #learnontiktok #statetreemap #palmetto

Davies shares that his love of trees goes beyond just their beauty. There's something about trees native to where we live that tap into something primal within us.

"I find them absolutely fascinating, of course. I think they're beautiful, of course. But also from a practical sense, we wouldn't be anywhere without them. We need them to build our homes, to heat our homes, to make furniture, food, the games we play, the art we admire. But ultimately for me, what I love the most is the way different types of native trees and forests have the power to evoke something so personal for different people.

"For me, a large, twisted Utah juniper instantly makes me feel at peace and at home. Same goes for the color of the dancing light coming through the canopy of a quaking aspen grove. I can hear and see and smell those forests and trees that are native to the wild places in my home and they give me something so much different than, say, the exotic beauty of a forest of old-growth redwoods or a cypress swamp. And what I love is how someone from those places will feel entirely the opposite."

Part of what makes Davies' videos so engaging is that he really connects with his audience. Check out how he taps into the psyches of his viewers who were incredibly bothered by the empty space where Nevada was supposed to go before he made the piece.

@justinthetrees

I love you all, send me some bristlecone pine wood if you find some lol #statetreemap #woodworking #trees #map

Davies is thrilled with how people of all ages have responded to his videos. He says he gets sent pictures of things kids made in shop class inspired by his work and messages from viewers who say they didn't care at all about trees before, but who now find themselves out for walks with friends and pointing out things about different tree species. "That kind of stuff is just absolutely amazing," says Davies.

Seriously, who knew trees were so fascinating?

There's something so pure about watching someone do woodworking, but adding an interesting educational element and a true love for trees makes it all the more satisfying. You can follow Justin Davies on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

P.S. If you really want to watch every state video from the TikTok U.S. map project, he compiled them all here on YouTube:

@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Badass bikers show up for abused children, offering advocacy and protection

They become an abused child's "biker family," and they let the child—and everyone else—know that NO ONE messes with their family.

When you are a child who has been abused by people who are supposed to protect you, how do you feel safe?

That question is the heart of Bikers Against Child Abuse International (B.A.C.A.), an organization dedicated to creating "a safer environment for abused children." With specific training and extensive security checks, the frequently big and burly members of B.A.C.A. serve as protectors of chid abuse survivors, giving vulnerable children people to call on when they feel scared, and even showing up in court when a child asks them to.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Igor Ferreira on Unsplash

Florida principal fired after showing statue of "David."

If you ask most teachers why they went into education, they'll share that it had nothing to do with the money and everything to do with their passion for teaching. Even with rapid changes in curriculum and policies, teachers who remain in the classroom are lovers of education and are doing their best to help kids learn.

Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of Florida's Tallahassee Classical School, was one of those teachers who simply enjoyed teaching. As the principal, Carrasquilla was required to teach two classes. During her sixth grade lesson about Renaissance art, which is also a requirement of the school, Carrasquilla showed a picture of Michelangelo's "David" statue.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, three parents complained about their children being shown the picture. Two of those parents were mostly upset that there wasn't sufficient notice given before the photo of the sculpture was shown. The third parent reportedly complained that the statue of the Biblical figure was pornographic.

Keep ReadingShow less

When Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi both landed their high jumps at 2.37 meters, they were in the battle for Olympic gold. But when both jumpers missed the next mark—the Olympic record of 2.39 meters—three times each, they were officially tied for first place.

In such a tie, the athletes would usually do a "jump-off" to determine who wins gold and who wins silver. But as the official began to explain the options to Barshim and Tamberi, Barshim asked, "Can we have two golds?"

Keep ReadingShow less
via YouTube

These days, we could all use something to smile about, and few things do a better job at it than watching actor Christopher Walken dance.

A few years back, some genius at HuffPo Entertainment put together a clip featuring Walken dancing in 50 of his films, and it was taken down. But it re-emerged in 2014 and the world has been a better place for it.

Keep ReadingShow less

English metal detector hobbyist finds a real treasure near Nottingham.

A retired merchant navy engineer in England has found a treasure that would have made his country’s most popular folk hero proud. Graham Harrison, a 64-year-old metal detector enthusiast, discovered a gold signet ring that once belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The discovery was made on a farm in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, 26.9 miles from Sherwood Forest. The forest is known worldwide for being the mythological home of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. A central road that traversed the forest was notorious in Medieval times for being an easy place for bandits to rob travelers going to and from London.

Keep ReadingShow less