[1] Reames coined the word "arborsculpture" to describe the art of shaping living tree trunks and woody plants into sculptural forms, furniture and shelters.

Reames was appointed, in 2005, as the "international arborsculpture coordinator" for the World Expo's Growing Village in Aichi, Japan;[6] his work was also exhibited there.

[7] He grew up near Santa Cruz, California, which is within ten miles of Axel Erlandson’s famed "Circus Trees," known at that time as The Lost World, a mid-century roadside attraction.

Over a period of three years he constructed an octagonal two-story log house, 24 feet in diameter, using dead standing trees and native stone for the foundation.

His work involves the time-based processes of bending, pruning, grafting, and multiple plantings that are similar to those used in bonsai but most closely related to espalier.

[5] In an interview with Joshua Foer in Cabinet Magazine, Reames describes some of the ecological principles behind his work as being grounded in a desire to teach others ways to live in harmony with trees and therefore with nature.

He is interested in ecological advantages of working with trees such as erosion control, carbon dioxide sequestration, food sources, habitat creation for wildlife, and climate change mitigation.

[11][12][13] Reames participated as a team member of the Growing Village Pavilion,[14][9] and in 2005, he was appointed the international arborsculpture coordinator, overseeing the work of artists from several countries.

These botanical domes or self-growing treehouses can form a sustainable abode that grows fruit and other edible foods, and can also utilize waste within a closed-loop system.

[17] The German language book, Lebende Bauten - trainierbare Tragwerke (Living buildings - trainable structures) features a chapter on Reames.

[18] After the publication of his first book, How to Grow a Chair: The Art of Tree Trunk Topiary (1995), he was invited to create site-specific arborsculptures by various clients, who he then mentors on the care of the living installations.

This technique has been used by traditional Belgian fence crafters however Reames creates a tighter diamond grid by planting the trees closer together to keep certain wildlife such as deer out of an area.

Another arbortectural project is his Living House, a 22-foot diameter dwelling created from 77 alder trees planted 11 inches apart, intentionally based on multiples of elevens.

[8] On Reames' property in Oregon, there are a dozen nursery beds, each of which are between 100 and 200 feet long, constructed in a configuration to optimize their orientation to the sun.

[18] Alison Gillespie writes in her article, Taking treehouses to a whole new level in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, that arborsculpture is not a new practice but when combined with aeroponics it can be used for sustainable design applications.

The authors go on to state that Reames has "inspired many architects,"[23] His book, Arborsculpture: Solutions for a Small Planet was reviewed in the Utne Reader.