City considers carving out tree carving policy for Bois-des-Esprits

A sign for the Bois-des-Esprits Park on June 19, 2025. (Danton Unger/CTV News Winnipeg)

The city is looking to carve out a new policy on tree carving in city parks—a move prompted by concerns that unauthorized artists have gone too far in one iconic city green space.

Sharp-eyed visitors to Bois-des-Esprits may be able to spot more than 30 whimsical carvings and wooden faces scattered throughout the urban forest park in southern Winnipeg.

Right now, the city said there is no policy or direction regarding tree carvings in city parks, nor has it authorized any recent carving activity at Bois-des-Esprits, specifically.

However, that hasn’t stopped new tree spirits from taking up residence in the forest.

“As the popularity of these carvings grew, more carvings began to appear in the forest,” a report to the city’s community services committee reads.

The surge in tree carvings prompted Coun. Brain Mayes (St. Vital) to file a motion back in June asking the public service to look into potential policies around carving authorizations.

At the time, Mayes said he was fielding complaints from residents who said new carvings were being cut into live trees, with some residents worrying the tree-carving had gone too far.

Read more: ‘Needs to be done in the right way’: Concerns about tree carvings in Bois-des-Esprits Park

“At this point, the Public Service does not have clear direction on how to handle requests for carving in parks and is balancing the aspects of carvings as a unique and attractive feature with the alternate view that carvings can detract from nature and lead to more unauthorized carving activities,” the report from the public service reads.

The city said the practice started in 2004 with the famous ‘Woody’ carving, etched into the trunk of an American elm tree that fell victim to Dutch elm disease. In 2021, the city said the carving succumbed to the elements and portions of it were moved to Le Musée de Saint-Boniface.

More tree spirits were added to dead branches and tree stumps in the forest in 2009, when the city granted permission to local woodcarver Murray Watson to create them. Since then, the city has only authorized a handful of new tree carvings in the forest, limiting them to dead wood only.

The report noted that after 2020, more carvings were added to the forest, along with plaques and dedications, some of which were on live trees. Many of these, the city said, lacked the subtlety of the original carvings, which needed to be found rather than being forward-facing and obvious.

According to a city review, there are at least 34 carvings in the park.

Find all the tree carvings on this interactive map

“At this time, the Public Service has adopted an approach that existing carvings are generally left in place pending any removal of trees required due to safety concerns,” the report reads. “The Public Service will not maintain or attempt to preserve any carvings from planned removals or natural processes.”

The city said new plaques are not allowed in the forest, and while crews won’t remove existing plaques, it will not allow them to be replaced when they fail.

“The Public Service will continue to restrict these activities by stopping known activities where possible and potentially removing any carvings done without permission,” the report reads.

It added in the long term, the public service will consider if more carvings will be allowed, if greater restrictions are required or if a permitting or approval process is needed.