03/06/2008

Associated Press

Sawdust swirled as Paul Jones worked his chainsaw magic in Howard Amon Park, converting a dying tree into a work of art.

Rather than take down a couple of diseased trees, park officials hired Jones, co-owner of Spirit Brothers Chainsaw Art, to convert them into visual representations of the southcentral Washington town's pioneer past.

On Tuesday he was sculpting a maple tree that already had been stripped of limbs, leaves and most of its bark into a "history pole" evoking residents and events from 1805 to 1939 before construction of the nearby Hanford nuclear reservation in the 1940s.

"The depth of the pioneer history is phenomenal," Jones said.

Joseph Schiessl, housing and redevelopment manager, said the tree was supposed to be uprooted last year after it succumbed to wind and wood-boring insects.

Instead, after a tree removal service began work, a couple of maintenance workers suggested using it for public art and Spirit Brothers was hired for $7,500 to produce totem-style representations on the maple and a nearby black walnut tree.

"We liked the idea that a totem tells the story about a community or a culture's history," Schiessl said. "That's exactly what Mr. Jones is doing here, telling Richland pre-Hanford history on these trees in what is arguably our city's most important park."

Images carved by Jones to date include Capt. Robert Gray, a steamship operator who ran supplies up the Columbia River, and Capt. Meriwether Lewis forging a friendship with a native chieftain on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Yet to be added are a pioneer farming couple and a miner bound for the Yukon gold rush.

On the black walnut he plans to feature natural wildlife and images from prehistoric petroglyphs.

Jones expects to complete work on the maple in about three weeks and the black walnut by May 1.

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Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com