BLOCKLIBRARY
Blog & guides

Install Round Trees and Better Leaves

Round Trees changes the shape of logs. Better Leaves adds depth around leaf blocks. The versions in our catalog use the textures already active in your game, so they are useful when you want fuller trees without choosing a new texture style.

File inspection updated . We checked the exact downloadable ZIPs and their model references. Minecraft 1.21.1 compatibility below is reported by the releases’ authors; we have not run these packs in that game version.

Choose the exact release

The resource packs currently in Block Library
DownloadWhat it changesVersion notes
Round Trees 8.4Log models, including the oak log’s sides and end faces.Official 8.4 release; our listing targets Java 1.21.1.
Better Leaves 8.1Leaf models, with multiple shapes and rotations for oak leaves.Official 8.1 release; Java 1.21.1 is within its stated support range.

Both packs are by Motschen and include an MIT license. Keep that notice when redistributing them. A pack version such as “8.1” is different from a Minecraft version such as “1.21.1.” Match the game version on the release page, not the first number in the filename.

What “models-only” means here

In the inspected Round Trees ZIP, assets/minecraft/models/block/oak_log.json points to a shared log shape and references the existing oak side and end textures. In Better Leaves, assets/minecraft/blockstates/oak_leaves.json selects leaf-model variants; those models refer to the existing oak-leaf texture. Each ZIP’s only PNG is its pack icon, pack.png.

That explains a useful distinction: changing the model changes the silhouette, while changing a texture changes the surface artwork. Another pack can supply the wood and leaf artwork while these packs supply the shapes. A different pack that also replaces the same models creates an ordering conflict to investigate.

This guide specifically covers Better Leaves 8.1. The author explains that newer Better Leaves releases use a different texture-generation approach. Do not apply an 8.1 setup recipe to a newer release without reading its instructions.

Install one pack, then the other

  1. Open the intended game installation. Check that you launched Minecraft Java Edition and the version listed for the pack. Separate launcher profiles can use separate game folders.
  2. Open the pack folder from the game. Use Options → Resource Packs → Open Pack Folder. Place the downloaded ZIP directly in that folder; these releases already have pack.mcmeta at the ZIP root and do not need unpacking.
  3. Select Round Trees and finish the reload. Start with other optional packs disabled. In a disposable creative world, compare a vertical oak log, a horizontal log, and a small stack of logs. Record whether the shapes changed.
  4. Add Better Leaves. Check a single oak leaf block, a group of leaves, and a tree canopy. Use the same position and lighting for before-and-after comparisons.
  5. Reintroduce your existing textures. The Round Trees author recommends putting it above other packs. When a conflicting pack changes the result, move only that pack or disable it to isolate the cause.

Keep your comparison small: one tree type, one viewpoint, and one changed setting at a time. If oak looks right but a modded tree does not, that narrows the question to that tree’s models instead of the entire installation.

Troubleshoot the symptom you see

Checks before downloading another copy
SymptomCheck next
The pack does not appearReopen the pack folder from the running game. Confirm the ZIP is there rather than inside another folder or a different launcher profile.
The pack appears but trees look unchangedConfirm it is selected, let the resource reload finish, and test it with other optional packs disabled. Start with oak before checking modded trees.
It works alone but changes when another pack is enabledRecord both pack names, versions, and order. Swap only the conflicting pair and repeat the same visual comparison.
Leaves make a dense forest slowerCompare the same forest with Better Leaves enabled and disabled while keeping render distance and other settings unchanged. The author notes the model approach in 8.1 has a performance cost; we have no measured frame-rate claim.
Minecraft warns about compatibilityCompare your exact game version with the pinned release page. Do not treat a broad format range in pack metadata as a completed gameplay test.

A resource pack is different from a Fabric mod

The catalog’s Better Ping Display is a .jar client mod. Its installation uses Fabric and the mods folder. These two tree packs are ZIP resource packs selected through the game’s Resource Packs menu. Putting a JAR next to the tree ZIPs does not install it.

When reporting a pack problem, include the exact game version, release filename, other active packs, pack order, and what changed in the isolated test. Avoid sharing private world saves or account details. Use the creator’s issue tracker from the source page for pack bugs and Contact & corrections for an incorrect Block Library listing.

Want to change the buildings as well as the trees? Read the survival build planning guide and compare schematic file formats.