Chetwynd, BC

Chetwynd Chainsaw Carvings & Sculptures

Community Carvings

Since 2005, the Annual Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Championship has visually shaped Chetwynd into a one-of-a-kind locale. Artists from all over the world compete in this unique competition. The District of Chetwynd keeps each intricately carved piece from the championship, and places them along pathways, in parks, and around gardens throughout town. There are 88 carvings currently in town. The most recent additions are a set of three Spirit Carving Nature Poles featuring different animals. Pick up a brochure at the Visitor Centre and take a self-guided tour of the carvings.

A public art program, started in 1987, showcases over 50 chainsaw carvings spread throughout town with a downtown monument that declares Chetwynd the “Chainsaw Sculpture Capitol of the World”. The town’s first annual chainsaw carving contest was held in June 2005. A statue of a lumberjack entitled "Chetwynd, the Little Giant of the Great Peace", measuring 2.7 metres (9 ft) tall and located alongside the highway, has stood in the town since 1967. The statue has been periodically altered by replacing the ax with other accessories, such as a lasso, rifle, gold pan and pitchfork, or dressed in other outfits, like a Santa suit. In 2009 the original statue was replaced with a wood carving facsimile, intended to reflect the popularity of the annual chainsaw carving event.