Mother Nature never ceases to amaze us all. One of the most impressive aspects of nature is the fact that plants and trees can grow in all different directions just to get more sunlight so that they can better thrive.

If you’ve ever come upon a bent tree in the woods, you probably thought it just randomly ended up that way, but this is not the case at all.

American Forests is a non-profit group founded over 100 years ago that works to conserve the landscape of our great nation. The group just spoke out to reveal that bent trees actually have a much deeper meaning than any of us thought.

American Forests’ former managing editor Katrina Marland said that bent trees in the woods are sometimes “landmarks that helped guide indigenous people on their way.”

“Native Americans would bend young trees to create permanent trail markers, designating safe paths through rough country and pointing travelers toward water, food or other important landmarks,” she said.

Because these trailer markers happened hundreds of years ago, the trees are now much bigger than they were when they were saplings.

“Over the years, the trees have grown keeping their original shape, but with their purpose all but forgotten as modern life sprang up around them,” Marland continued. “Today, we may not need these “trail trees” to navigate, but their place in history makes them invaluable.”

In an attempt to identify Native American trail trees that survive, 450 potential trees were brought to the attention of Texas Historic Tree Coalition arborist Steve Houser. However, only a handful of these trees were found to be Native American trail markers.

“One of the trees that the Texas coalition had officially recognized in 1996 was damaged the very next year,” the Atlas Obscura magazine wrote. “The tree had originally touched the ground and grown upwards, but over Memorial Day in 1997, a storm broke its vertical trunk. All that was left was an unusual beam of tree, arced horizontally to the ground.”

“There are still skeptics who have trouble believing marker trees were made by humans,” the publication continued. “Even among the people most knowledgeable about these trees, there’s disagreement about how many true marker trees have been identified. But [Dennis] Downes and other researchers have found confirmation from historical accounts and photos and from the elders of Native American tribes that particular trees were used as navigational aides.”

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