Chainsaw Carving Capital of the World - Hope, B.C.

Now thats unique isn't it?  If you're taking a walk-about Hope it won't be long before you notice, that just about every street corner has a Chainsaw Carving Showcased.  When Hope's chainsaw carver, Pete Ryan first came to Hope from Toronto, he became fascinated with 'carving with technology' instead of chisels'...

                                                        Downtown Hope, B.C.

Ryan had always been a hobby 'carver'.....but here he started honing his new skills by carving wood, moose antlers, soapstone......ice....anything hecould get his hands on - with a chainsaw! 

Ryan's first major project was a huge water buffalo and elephant that he carved for Expo '86 for the Transportation Exhibit in the  Yukon Pavillion.

In the early 1990's Hope was sturggling with the fact that many of the trees in Memorial Park were being ravaged with root rot and would have to be removed.  Thats when Ryan came up with the idea  that there might be a way to turn this situation into something positive......that somethng great could still be done with these trees.  Thus Hope embarked on a project that would lead to it becoming the "Chainsaw Carving Capital".

The trees were cut down from a high point on the trunk so that a 12 foot stump remained behind.  Thats where Ryan went to work on the stumps with his chainsaw and created something memorable!

These carvings are amazing...and now photographed by thousands of travellers from all over the world......Ryan now has his work displayed not just in Hope and the Fraser Canyon Canyon but all over the world.  The carvings range from 'totem carvings'.......animals depicted in totems....tributes to a police dog....and historical markers.                         

What a terrific example of turning something negative into something terrific - benefiting the whole community!

Check out my other posts about the Hope Area!