Where the Trees Once Stood
The BurlBlade Urban Tree Origin Map documents the locations where salvaged trees once grew, linking each harvest and specimen back to its original environment.
About the Urban Tree Origin Map
The BurlBlade Urban Tree Origin Map documents the geographic locations where trees and burls were salvaged and catalogued within the BurlBlade timber provenance archive.
Each mapped location represents a documented harvest site connected to individual timber specimens and their corresponding records within the Harvest Archive. These locations provide geographic context for where each tree once grew before becoming part of the archive.
The map reflects urban tree removals across Gauteng, South Africa, where material is recovered from residential areas, municipal work, and private land. This provides a spatial layer to the archive, linking timber not only to species and structure, but also to place.
Geographic references and mapping concepts are based on open mapping systems similar to
OpenStreetMap,
helping visualize the origin of salvaged timber across urban environments.
This Urban Tree Origin Map forms part of the BurlBlade provenance system, connecting geographic location with documented timber recovery across Gauteng.
Sunnyridge — Germiston, Gauteng, South Africa
PB2601 — Plum Burl Harvest
This harvest documents a salvaged plum burl recovered from Sunnyridge in Germiston, Gauteng. The tree produced a small collection of cookies, slabs, and planks that were individually milled and catalogued within the BurlBlade specimen archive.
This location represents a single point within the broader mapping system, where each harvest contributes to a growing geographic record of urban timber recovery.
Each mapped location connects directly to the BurlBlade archive system, where material is documented through the Harvest Archive, catalogued in the Specimen Registry, and classified within the Wood Species Guide. This structure ensures that every point on the map links to a fully traceable record of origin, material, and documentation.
Some mapped locations include material that cannot be assigned to a confirmed species due to age, environmental exposure, or natural degradation. These specimens are still documented within the system based on their origin and structure, forming part of the broader archive of natural-form material.
Edenvale — Gauteng, South Africa
GS2602 — Ground Stump Root Timber Harvest
This harvest records the recovery of ground stump root timber from Edenvale, Gauteng. The material originated from subsurface root structures, producing irregular slabs, voided sections, and naturally complex wood forms shaped by root growth.
This location represents a distinct origin point within the mapping system, expanding the archive beyond above-ground burl material to include structurally unique root-based timber.
Each mapped location connects directly to the BurlBlade archive system, where material is documented through the Harvest Archive, catalogued in the Specimen Registry, and classified within the Wood Species Guide.