The ‘PK Chainsaw Massacre’: Not what you might think

Story by Steve Nussbaum

The “PK Chainsaw Massacre†is not a ghost tale told around the campfires at Camp Grady Spruce. It’s actually the name given to one man’s mission that began after the devastating fires that roared through the Possum Kingdom area in 2011.

Bryan Harveston, a longtime Possum Kingdom property owner, is clearing out trees that perished over a decade ago, with a goal to restore some of the beauty those blazes destroyed. He’s been cutting down unsightly dead trees along Highway 16 from Gaines Bend all the way to the Park Road 36 junction by the old racetrack.

Harveston also has cleared trees along the walking trail at The Harbor, as well as on Scenic Point Road toward Possum Kingdom State Park and the marina near Hemmingway’s Craft House restaurant. He aims to transform the “apocalyptic†landscape area back to its original beauty.

Harveston, who is in the horizontal drilling business in East Texas, has been coming to Possum Kingdom since 1999 and has owned property in The Cliffs Resort as well as The Ranch on Possum Kingdom. It wasn’t long after those fires in 2011 that he looked out from his patio to see all the dead, burnt trees marring his beautiful view.

He said he knew it would take years for new trees to grow back, so he considered selling his property and finding a new lake to call home. But he opted to take matters into his own hands instead when he stopped in Mineral Wells one day to buy a cheap chainsaw.

He started with a few trees in the canyons near the golf course at The Cliffs, then proceeded to clear four holes along the golf course that run adjacent to Highway 16 down to the bridge that crosses the Brazos River. From there, he made his way up the scenic overlook along the sharp turn on Highway 16.

Harveston said landowners have been grateful for what he is doing and appreciate his efforts to restore the natural beauty of the area. He added that he’s had to work with the Brazos River Authority several times to get access to some of its property.

His goal is to get rid of 90 percent of the dead trees in each damaged area, reasoning that folks won’t even notice when they look at a cleared area. He said he wants to get rid of the ugly grey patches and restore the natural green beauty of the landscape.

He’s taken on other beautification projects in the area over the years, too. Travelers along Highway 16 across the Brazos River bridge and up the sharp turn can’t help but see the historic stone retaining wall there, but the wall has been damaged many times by errant motorists. Harveston got tired of seeing the damage, so now every time the stone wall suffers another indignity, he goes out to fix it.

Harveston considers the tree beautification project an enjoyable pastime, even going so far as to describe it as “chainsaw yoga.†The work is hard, but it’s also good exercise, he said, adding that it’s helping keep him physically and mentally healthy. He’s gone through numerous chainsaws over the years, as well as too many pairs of work pants to count.

He’s even had a few accidents along the way.

On one occasion, he was standing on some brush while cutting down a large tree, and the tree flipped him in the air when it came crashing down. He ended up with damaged ribs from that incident.

Then there was the time he cut through his boot with the saw, and knew he had cut his foot, too.

Harveston made his way to The Trading Post to get something to put on his wound, but he didn’t realize how bad it was, because he ended up leaving a trail of blood through the store.

Cory Gentry, owner of the Trading Post, took Harveston to a back room and started pulling first-aid supplies off the shelf to mend the injury.

Gentry said Harveston told him, “Don’t tell my wife!â€

Gentry replied: “You don’t need a grocery store for this injury. You need a medical clinicâ€!

But he soon had Harveston bandaged and ready to go, and Gentry admitted that he’s impressed with Harveston’s commitment to beautify Possum Kingdom.

Harveston’s efforts have earned him a certain sort of notoriety. One night at an upscale restaurant in Highland Park, he noticed a gentleman across the way staring at him. He didn’t recognize the fellow, but thought maybe they knew each other somehow.

Later that night, the man walked over to Harveston and said, “Aren’t you the PK chainsaw guy?†At that, they both laughed and introduced themselves.

So if anyone in the area sees a guy climbing out of a canyon with a chainsaw and wearing headphones, it’s nothing like the scary stuff in horror movies. It’s just local resident Brian Harveston doing his “chainsaw yoga.â€