Chainsaw artist carves dead tree in Tyler’s Brick Streets Historic District

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - A large tree died in the front lawn of a home near downtown Tyler, and the homeowner opted to get creative rather than turning it to firewood.

Owner of Bearly Making It Chainsaw Carving Cam Dockery was seen today carving an intricate design into a dead tree. This took place in the front lawn of a home at the corner of Shaw Street and College Avenue in the Brick Streets Historic District in Tyler.

“More than likely over time was maybe potential damage to the house and then things that are maybe driving by, so they decided to give me a call so that I could carve it into something cool,” said Dockery.

Dockery said he has done about 10,000 carvings across the country over the last 22 years. While he says he had done hundreds of carvings in East Texas, this is his first one in Tyler.

He collaborated with the homeowner to create a design that is unique to the area.

“This is going to be like a birdhouse on the top, but it’s in the style of some of these houses in this area,” said Dockery. “Then, it will have roses and azaleas down the side with their house number, and it will also have a little fox in the bottom and a woodpecker on the other side of it.”

He said he has a total of about 150 chainsaws in his workshop. He typically uses three chainsaws for his tree carvings.

“I try to do stuff that’s for the area, for that specific family, or you know, in a commemoration of something in the area. That’s usually the coolest type of carving.”

Dockery started the carving this morning and said he expects it to take him a day and a half to complete.

He said it’s always best to use local resources and hopes to make a positive difference with his carvings.

“Hopefully they just think it’s cool, you know, and also, whenever a tree dies, it could possibly live on in another way, whether it be firewood or a carving like this.”

Dockery said the price to carve a tree varies greatly depending on the tree and other factors.

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