Post #451861 by tikisbytyler on Tue, May 5, 2009 11:19 AM

I'm not sure I would do one again, for various reasons, but this is a photo of a tiki I did in a live tree here in Florida. The carving was done about 18 months ago. It sits at the edge of a bulkhead on the intracoastal waterway in Jacksonville beach. The tree is still very much alive and growing quite well. I did however have to put some serious commitment into this project after the carving.

Once a tree has been injured (and let's face it - that is what we are talking about here), it becomes very sensitive to pests and disease. I oiled the wounds with linseed oil and cleaned the surrounding area at least every 3 days for about a month & a half. Since then I have been very careful to re-apply oil & check for pests about every 2 months. I am very confident that this tree will survive as long as continued care is given. I am also very confident it would die without constant care.

There is a company around the corner from where I live that sells soil, mulch, stones etc. that also has a tiki carver working there. I have seen MANY live trees become tikis there only to die & rot into sad slumped over empty tubes of bark.

Unfortunately, carving a dead tree that has had the top removed often faces similar consequences. The roots continue to draw moisture into a tree that is no longer using the water, causing the wood to rot and/or become infested with pests. I have seen examples of hardwoods that did fine in this situation, but not palms.

I also have to say that at the time I carved this I may not have thought it all the way through. Erik the Red said some very important things earlier in this post that must be considered.

Tyler