Trees Fallen in Dexter Tornado Become Decorative Picture Frames

One year after a tornado hit Dexter, some of the fallen trees have been transformed into wooden frames. Michigan company Urban Ashes used wood from trees that fell during the tornado to create the handmade decorative items.

Urban Ashes owner Paul Hickman said a homeowner contacted him about a month after the tornado asking if he could do something with the six damaged black cherry trees in her backyard, which she didn't want to be burned or turned into mulch.

"We got them out of there within six weeks after the tornado," he said.

The homeowner then connected Urban Ashes with Hudson Mills Metro Park, which had some of the most fallen trees in the area. Six to eight weeks after the tornado, some of the trees were taken from the park and sent to Urban Ashes to be turned into picture frames.

Hickman said they were able to salvage 35 trees out of about 5,000 that had fallen in the park.

Urban Ashes, which has offices in Ann Arbor and manufactures in Brighton, is about four years old and creates hand-made furniture and frames out of salvaged wood from urban settings. Hickman said they focus on salvaging the main trunk, or butt log. In this case, many of the trees were 20 inches in diameter, which is not large enough for furniture but is perfect for frames, he said.

"It keeps them from going into the mulch pile," he said.

Hickman said they aim to sell the frames to Washtenaw County retailers and donate the funds to create a memorial for the lost trees in Hudson Mill Metro Park.

The funds raised would be used to plant trees and install a plaque telling the fallen trees' story, he said. 

He said they started slow to see if the project was viable and so far two dozen 4 by 6 inch frames are completed, which will be sold for $35.