I can't understand what is being said, but at surface level I believe he is trying to make the deadwood look like a stone outcropping, and the maple will eventually look like a tree wrapped around a stone pinnacle (?) If that is the case, I give the artist props for creativity, but it is still a long way off from being believable.
Reminds me a little of this tree from Bob Shimon for the 2009 GSBF show. This coast redwood was a large stump with one live vein that Bob carved to suggest a tree growing on a cliff. I loved the composition (it is a big tree and very dramatic in person) but it is not for everyone.