"It's a real tree," Briar told him, ignoring the unfamiliar word 'hologram.' "I didn't shape this one. It's more than a century older than I am." He put the shakkan down for a moment, using his hands to demonstrate.

"When the tree is still pretty young, you can use wire to bring a sapling into a shape that suits it." Briar's hands held imaginary wire as he explained, loosely wrapping the shakkan's trunk and branches. "If you do it right, the shape will work with the tree, concentrating all its strength down into a small area rather than fighting the tree's growth." No real technology involved, just a little bit of training, some patience, and knowing trees well enough to know what shape they ought to have.