Around Cherrapunji in northeast India there are “living root bridges”, a form of tree shaping, which are simple suspension bridges made of living tree roots of some suitable species such as Ficus elastica, growing alongside the gap to be bridged, by gradually training some of its roots to grow across the gap until they take root on the other side. There are examples with a span of over 100 feet. They are naturally self-renewing and self-strengthening as the component roots grow thicker.