Tree transformed with chainsaw art at Dudley Farm in Guilford, Conn.

GUILFORD, Conn. — The once towering, centuries-old sugar maple tree at the Dudley Farm in Guilford succumbed to rot over decades. It was the centerpiece for visitors coming to the 10-acre farm and museum, but now the dead tree is taking on new life.

The Board at The Dudley Farm and Museum commissioned the artistic talents of Jared Welcome, a chainsaw carver and artist who owns Jare Bear Carvings and whose works are all over the region.

With his trusty whirring Stihl MS-211 chainsaw in hand, Welcome was busy putting the final touches on a wood carving that features farm life; It showcases a rooster, a cow, horseshoes, and stalks of corn.

“This is actually a dead tree and we’re giving new life to it,” Welcome said, and then added, “Rather than cutting it down and losing all those hundreds