Live Edge Collection
All New!
What Makes
Live Edge So Special?
It has always been about the trees!
Before the Calico Carver, our owner, Rich, grew up in a small logging community near Bass Lake, CA,
where trees were everything.
A tree is a home,
a playground, a source of
life, wisdom and majesty.
Trees transform our world;
they beautify what was barren
and bring life where there was none.
Natural Beauty
Live edge slabs showcase the natural beauty of a redwood tree. As sign carvers, we could not ask for a better medium. Redwood is a soft wood, which allows us to hand-carve the clean, straight lettering and detailed artwork we are known for. Because redwood ages so slowly, these slabs can last decades, and be handed down through generations in your family. And as no two slabs look exactly alike, each one is a new canvas for us to design your one-of-a-kind sign. We let you choose your slab, as each has its own character, and, honestly, because it's fun! Once you’ve selected your unique slab, we take extra care to put our very best work into it, showing each slab the care and respect it deserves. We only get one chance to carve your sign on the live edge slab of your choice. Our goal is to give it a second life while making it a special part of yours. We redesign each sign according to the slab—highlighting the traits in it that make it unique—along with your personalized text and design style, to make sure every sign looks its very best.
You can cherish the natural history and unique beauty of your own
Calico Live Edge Redwood Sign
Sustainably Sourced
Our live edge slabs come from reclaimed, old-growth California redwoods—trees that can live for not just hundreds, but thousands of years. These monuments are an iconic part of California’s natural history, one deserving protection. Indigenous tribes, like the Yurok and the Chumash, relied on redwoods to provide building material for shelter, furniture, canoes, tools and more. Before a redwood tree was harvested, ceremonies were performed to pay their respects to these giving trees. The first modern conservation efforts to preserve redwood forests began in the 1840s, after decades of widespread logging. But even 100 years later, as development boomed following WWII, demand for redwood lumber soared. By the end of the 1950s, 90% of the original coastal redwood range had been logged and cleared. Today most remaining old-growth redwoods are on protected public lands. Certified redwood tree farms now provide a sustainable and continuous crop of new redwood timber (savetheredwoods.org).
New-Growth vs. Old-Growth
This farmed, new-growth redwood is what we use to make our Classic Signs. Our live edge slabs come from old-growth trees that are responsibly removed from county and city properties throughout Northern California, whether they be at risk of falling, dredged from a river or an old telephone pole being replaced. Back in Bass Lake, Rich first learned to carve on the old-growth timber that was common at the time. We are so excited that after 20 years, we finally have access to this remarkable resource again. Knowing that it comes from sustainable sources and is being repurposed—given new life—is the icing on the cake. We are proud that when you order a Calico Live Edge Redwood Sign, you can get the very best wood sign, without hurting the forests from which it came.
