Milwaukee’s Christmas tree gets second life as artwork
By Mallory Anderson
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — The holiday season is officially over in Milwaukee, with the city’s Christmas tree removed outside of Fiserv Forum Wednesday morning. But the good news is: The tree isn’t headed for a landfill.
It sounds a little harsh to take a chainsaw to Milwaukee’s holiday cheer, with the trunk of the tree now in the trunk of a truck, but when the 2022 city Christmas tree came down, it actually signaled the beginning of a new life.
“It’s a little sad, but it’s also good to see that it’s going to be something that’s going to be sustainable,” said Tim Eichinger, co-owner of Black Husky Brewing.
Black Husky Brewing and Younger’s Woodery are now turning five massive pieces of the tree’s trunk into artwork.
“We’re not just taking this and throwing it into a landfill somewhere. It’s going to come out, and it’s going to sit in somebody’s living room, or maybe even into a tap room, and it’s going to be something you can enjoy,” Eichinger said. “We’re also supporting the art of these people who are doing their chainsaw carving.”
The chainsaw carvings are then auctioned off at an event, with funds going toward the Urban Forestry Fund, which helps plant trees in the city of Milwaukee.
“I just think it’s a really good cause,” Eichinger said. “Growing up in the country, being out in the woods, trees are very important to me, and we don’t have enough trees. Especially when you get into the city. There’s a lot of concrete, even though Milwaukee is really known for its great trees that they have here, and the forestry program. I think they’re one of the few big cities that still has their own forestry department as well, which shows their commitment to having trees for everybody to see in the city.”
This will be the second year Black Husky Brewing has turned the city Christmas tree into artwork. They say last year’s auction was incredibly successful.
The brewery also teams up with the Department of Public Works to brew their annual city of Milwaukee Christmas tree “Sproose” beer. It’s an IPA brewed with spruce tips from the tree.
Black Husky Brewing Company plans to hold its 2023 charity auction sometime in the spring.
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