The
Tree Listening
Project

The Tree Listening Project is a groundbreaking environmental educational installation, which reveals the inner workings of a tree.

Using advanced acoustic technology, we are able to amplify the natural sounds of trees. Join us as we listen to these hidden noises and discover what happens behind the bark.

What is tree listening?

Tree listening is an interactive exploration of one of nature’s most precious creations.

Using highly sensitive microphones, as you listen to the headphones hanging from the branches of the tree you will hear the deep rumbling of a tree’s vibrations and quiet popping sounds as water passes through the cells of the xylem.

What can I hear when I listen to trees?

When we put the headphones on we hear two main sounds, the first and loudest is a deep rumble which is the vibrations travelling through the trunk, the second is a crackling, and it is this that we are most interested in…

As the leaves lose water through evaporation, a vacuum is created and this pulls the water molecules up inside the xylem creating a chain reaction from the leaves to the roots, this process is called tension and cohesion.

When leaves lose more water than the roots and water columns can supply, air is drawn into the xylem. If this air mixes with water inside the trees xylem it creates a cavitation making a popping sound that’s a little like Rice Crispies crackling. 

This water movement is key to a tree’s survival – its very life source.