Environment Planet Earth 12 Treescapes Dramatically Shaped by Wind By Catie Leary Writer and Photographer Georgia State University Catie Leary writes and curates visual stories about science, animals, the arts, travel, and the natural world. our editorial process Catie Leary Updated February 24, 2021 Tree growth is dramatically affected by fierce winds on New Zealand's Slope Point. (Photo: Venca11/Shutterstock) Share Twitter Pinterest Email Environment Weather Outdoors Conservation Long before humans discovered the art of shaping trees through bonsai, topiary and espalier, Mother Earth was doing some major horticultural sculpting herself. One of the most extreme examples of this natural phenomenon can be found at Slope Point, New Zealand, the southernmost point of the country's South Island. Situated just 2,982 miles from the South Pole, Slope Point is regularly pounded with extreme winds that have traveled uninterrupted for thousands of miles via the Antarctic circumpolar air stream. As evidenced in the photo above, the growth of nearby trees is dramatically affected as the fierce winds make landfall. Continue below to see more examples of how trees around the world are forced to bend and twist to Mother Earth's will. Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia (Photo: Barbara Barbour/Shutterstock) * * * San Francisco, California (Photo: Philippe Teuwen [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Wikipedia Commons) * * * Twistleton Scars, Chapel-le-Dale, England (Photo: Phil MacD Photography/Shutterstock) * * * Slope Point, New Zealand (Photo: Ben [CC BY-ND 2.0]/Flickr) * * * Darss, Germany (Photo: Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH/Shutterstock) * * * England's south coast (Photo: Brookie [CC BY-SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons) * * * Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic (Photo: ActiveSteve [CC BY-ND 2.0]/Flickr) * * * Big Island, Hawaii (Photo: mccready [CC BY 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons) * * * Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada (Photo: Liam Quinn [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons) * * * Maui, Hawaii (Photo: lauralens/Shutterstock) * * * Cuckmere Haven, Sussex, England (Photo: Alina Wegher/Shutterstock)