Ike Trees

After Hurricane Ike's passing I'm sure we all witnessed the demise of so many beautiful oaks among many other trees that lined our streets and yards.

The city of Houston proposed a contest- Recycle Ike - for the best idea of what to do with all these fallen trees (aside from converting it to mulch).
The site said it was "looking for ideas that are creative, practical, sustainable, adaptable, and make a big impact. Ideas should also address green house gas reductions, economic issues (benefit/cost ratio), and sustained creation of enterprise. The wood debris consists of branches, limbs, natural wood, woody prunings, stumps, trunks, and other woody vegetation."

Although the deadline has passed and the winners are yet to be announced, it seems like everywhere i look i see ideas. These are a few I'm quite fond of:

Simple stools or drink tables at a lounge in D.C.

These mutli-purpose tables/stools are dried in a solar-powered kiln and painted with VOC-free milk paint. According to the Pfeifer Studio site, the paint is made with the "same basic ingredients used during the Colonial era—milk protein, lime, and earthly pigments."
Custom teak coffee table:
I can't imagine how heavy this piece is but beautiful none the less.

Log Bowls from Loyal Loot. Made from reclaimed wood logs and water-based glossy finish

New York based Shimna has created some new natural pieces of furniture for 2008. They are the ‘Log’ table made from a walnut tree trunk with a 12″ round glass inset and the Susquehanna Coffee Table made from solid walnut with an individually carved seat. As an added bonus the coffee table has hidden storage.

Side table made out of glass and wood branches from fallen trees - vivaterra.com