The City of Hobart is giving away timber from two giant sequoias removed from St David’s Park, calling on local artists and community groups to turn the wood into creative projects that honour the trees’ legacy.
Council has opened an expression of interest process for people to apply for a piece of the sequoias, which stood at 30 and 32 metres tall before they were taken down in April after multiple attempts to save them failed.
Around 50 pieces of timber are up for grabs, ranging from large trunk sections up to eight metres long to smaller offcuts suited to community projects.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said it was a rare chance to give the trees a second life.
“While many of us are still saddened by the loss of these two trees from St David’s Park it will be exciting to see how local artists can turn the sequoia timber into something special,” she said.
“The beautiful soft red wood is durable and easily worked, and it’s extremely rare to see so much timber of this nature released into the local artisan community, let alone for free.”
Reynolds said the council’s Creative Hobart team would assess applications, with preference given to proposals that have strong community value or creative elements.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for our makers to turn the sad passing of these beautiful trees into something special that will last for generations to come and properly honour the loss of these trees,” she said.
One of the largest pieces has already been set aside for a council project led by Andrew Evans, a council field officer and experienced carver.
Evans said he’d use a large trunk section to create native animal sculptures for one of Hobart’s bushland reserves.
“It’s a great opportunity for a carver like myself,” he said.
“You don’t get logs like this available very often during your carving career and I’m just excited to have a massive log.”
Evans said he had been carving since the early 90s but had never worked with a giant sequoia before.
He described the timber as exotic, not commonly available and moderately rot resistant, making it well suited to outdoor use.
The timber was sealed to protect it from weathering as soon as it was removed from the park.
Some of it will also be used to create new interpretive elements for the Hobart waterfront to share Palawa and other local stories.
An open day to view the timber will be held on Thursday, June 18.
Two new giant sequoias will be planted at St David’s Park in November as part of the park’s centenary celebrations.
Applications can be submitted through an Expression of Interest process on the council’s website.
