| Up in the cool high plateau of Kokee, from 3500 feet elevation to about 4000 feet, one finds the Monterrey Cypress. An enormous tree, with trunks often exceeding 5 feet diameter and reaching 125 feet in height, all the more remarkable considering that these trees were planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. Only 65 years old!! Shallow-rooted, the tree is fairly easily blown over. This piece came from a tree felled in 1982 by Hurrican Iwa, which did horrendous damage to the native forests of Kokee. I milled the tree in 1993, and the fact that it had almost no rot is a testament to the decay resistance of this beautiful wood. The finish will probably be mineral oil/beeswax, as in the sample image. Any other finish seems to just sit on the wood, masking the unbelievably soft, silky feel, and crushing the subtlties of grain and figure. There are two or three radiating cracks one-third of the way up which will be butterflied and filled. The piece is midway done, and will be available in mid-2001. |
