Now online
Launched World Earth Day, 22 April 2025
arboreus.earth is a website dedicated to the sonic portraits of trees, the sounds of a virtual, global forest.
This is an international project, celebrates the soundscapes of trees across the world. Trees are the lungs of our planet. Collectively, as forests, they are one of the most ecologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, playing a vital role in mitigating the effects of climate change and supporting the health and wellbeing of millions of people, today and in the future.
Many of us have emotional attachments to trees—it might be a particular species, or a particular tree. They evoke memories, provide solace, witness history, and give shelter to us and more-than-human species who rely on them for habitat
arboreus.earth not only indexes tree species from across the world, it archives unique sonic portraits recorded and created by creatives and scientists who appreciate the importance of sound as not just an indicator of the health of our environment, but who are still filled with wonder and awe when given the chance to ‘listen in’ to hidden worlds.
For those who already listen to trees, you will know each tree has signature sounds, but the complex sonic portrait of that tree may differ from day to day, week to week, depending on the season, climatic conditions, and weather on the day—they’re as moody as us! The health of the tree also influences its sounds.
Listing requirements
If you have single source tree recordings or multi-track mixes and would like to contribute to this project, look at the arboreus.earth website and then complete the form via the link. Read through the form and put your information together before you start filling it in. And note the file name protocol required.
Requirements for a listing on the site:
- An edited sound recording of a tree – maximum length 10 minutes, minimum length 2 minutes, preferably as a .wav file (for upload to Soundcloud – arboreus.earth playlist). mp3 files may be directly uploaded depending on sound quality. The recordings may be edited single source sounds e.g. wind in the leaves or internal sounds, or a mix of sub-surface/atmospheric sounds to create a more composed portrait. Brief track notes will be included with the listing including the location of the tree recording/s, the date they were recorded, and who recorded/edited the track (if not you). The size of your file will depend on how you send the audio – details are in the form.
- A minimum of one high-quality photo of the tree you recorded or of the species from a similar environment. Additional images may be used with the listing as well. Credit given. If you’re not the photographer, please provide the details of who to credit. Provide notes about the photo if possible too.
- Botanical notes about the tree species including the botanical and common name of the tree e.g. Eucalpytus sideroxylon (Mugga Ironbark), range of distribution, height of mature tree, leaf configurations/shape, flowering habit, fruit type, and any other things that make this tree distinct or special to the environment it exists within.
- Additional files on the page of each tree may include an image of an artwork inspired by the tree or writings (poetry or prose). You may wish to collaborate with someone—one providing the recording, one the visual artwork. We can’t include videos embedded into the site at this stage, but you could provide a still image and a link to a video on a third-party site.
- Links to resources about the tree being listed or other interesting tree-related websites, books, or freely accessible published papers.
- One link to your website or social media to include as a hyperlink to your name on the listing/recording and in the artist index on the site.
- NOTE: Embedded videos are not possible on the website at this stage but we can link to Vimeo or YouTube with a still image. Hopefully, this will change in future, but the focus will always remain on the sound of trees. The video at the bottom of this page is for promotional purposes only.
This is an artist-funded, not-for-profit project supported by ecoPULSE.art. It’d be great to have a patron or sponsor down the track to pay for expenses. There is no payment for listings but all credit will be given to all content creators listed. You can make a personal donation via the website to help support its maintenance and growth i.e., more storage and additional features.