Texana Thursday: Galveston’s Tree Sculptures

This tree sculpture, in Galveston’s Sherman Park, was created following Hurricane Ike in 2008 (George Slaughter photo)

It’s been said that something good can come from something bad. For evidence, check out the tree sculptures on Galveston Island.

Hurricane Ike formed in the Atlantic Ocean in September 2008 and headed westward, hitting the Bahamas and other nearby islands before entering the Gulf of Mexico, where it hit Cuba and Haiti. Ike continued westward and hit Galveston and the Texas Gulf Coast.

Ike was a Category 2 hurricane, with winds between 96-110 mph. (For the uninitiated, there are five categories of hurricanes. A Category 5 hurricane is the most dangerous, with winds of 157 mph or higher.) The Galveston seawall protected the east, Gulf-facing side of the island. Unfortunately, no such protection was on the Galveston Bay-facing side of the island, and much of Galveston found itself underwater.

Ike caused approximately $37.5 billion in damages and 195 people lost their lives. Approximately 40,000 of Galveston’s trees were killed after being submerged in saltwater for a number of hours. Those trees were spray-painted with an orange “X.”

In his book Galveston’s Tree Carvings, author Joseph R. Pellerin, a third-generation Galvestonian, described what happened next:

Donna Leibbert, a member of the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy, traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi, and saw trees killed by Hurricane Katrina turned into carvings. Inspired, Donna proposed same idea for Galveston dead trees to the city council. Once liability issues were resolved, the city allowed trees on easements to be carved, and it even commissioned two carvings for City Hall next to the central fire station and one carving each in the four of the city parks.

The idea caught on, and even today various artists are creating their art around the city. Among the carvings are renditions of coastal birds such as pelicans, dogs, and people.

If you’re planning a trip to Galveston and hope to see the carvings, a map of the sculpture locations is on the city’s web site.