I love this tutorial, and have read it through at least 10 times. I haven't made any trees yet, but I did make a load of the faux Wedgewood cane and have played a little with it on Periwinkle.
Most important thing I learned is that I need to pull the stringers much finer. This bead is only about 3/4" high, but I think the thinner stringer will help to keep the design from looking so clunky. The stringer I used was the thinnest I originally pulled, and now think I'll save that size for the trunk. The rest of the stringer ( a bunch!) I plan to pull down.