Council workers create owl carving from dead tree

A council has felled a dead horse chestnut tree and carved a barn owl from the stump.

The tree at Hooks Corner in Cerne Abbas, Dorset, was planted in the 1980s by the village school's headmaster at the time, Dorset Council said.

However, it was pronounced dead after failing to come into leaf this spring.

An arboriculture team decided to create the owl as a reminder that "thoughtful acts still bloom in our community", the authority said.

The tree was too thin for the usual practice of carving a seat from the trunk, according to the council.

It said: "On this occasion, the team felling the tree... decided to try and carve an owl into the stump.

"They had seen this demonstrated a month ago at a [arboriculture] trade show so thought they would give it a go."

A council Facebook post included a poem from one of the tree workers, Nick Collins.

It ends: "Though the tree is gone, its soul remains/ In wood and wings and soft refrains./ So raise your eyes where branches grew - The heart of Cerne still watches you."

Residents replied with praise for the "beautiful poem" and "wonderful carving".

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