‘Needs to be done in the right way’: Concerns about tree carvings in Bois-des-Esprits Park

Harrison Shin has more on how some residents in south Winnipeg are concerned about tree carvings in Bois-des-Esprits Park.

Tree carvings in the Bois-des-Esprits Park have gone too far, according to one city councillor.

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) filed a motion at the Riel Community Committee asking that the public service look into the practice of tree carvings.

He said some residents in the area have complained that carvings are being done on live trees.

“It started well and it was carved into these old, dead trees. And then, it’s the views of some people in the ward, gone too far,” said Mayes.

“There’s some complaints that people are carving into live trees and people are sort of using it like carving their initials or anniversary celebrations. That’s not really what the goal was.”

Carvings started to pop up around 2009 when a local woodcarver decorated the forest with spirit carvings.

There are now dozens of spirit carvings throughout the forest, but they were all carved into dead trees.

Cory Crook, a general board member with the Royalwood Neighbourhood Association, said the new carvings can be beautiful, but concerns have been raised.

“It’s starting to impact the safety of walking through the forest, so there’s a lot of trees that are dying right next to the path that are a danger to people walking by. Also just jeopardizing the actual environment,” said Crook.

This is why Crook wants the city to look into the issue and see if a solution can be found.

“I think that there could possibly be some sort of way to permit carvings to continue the spirit of what has begun as, and it continues to be something that’s really wonderful, but it needs to be done in the right way.”

Mayes said he wants two things to come from this recommendation – to get an understanding of how bad the carving situation is in the park and to educate the public on why not just anyone is allowed to carve into trees.

“I don’t want this to get out of hand on my watch,” said Mayes. “So let’s get staff in there to look at it and try and come up with something that’ll work for the community.”

In a statement emailed to CTV News, a city spokesperson said carving trees is not allowed in parks or on public property unless permission is obtained from the city.

“We have in the past provided limited permission to professional carvers to create preapproved designs in Bois-des-Esprits. No additional carvings have since been approved,” the spokesperson said.

- With files from CTV’s Danton Unger