R ENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Celebrating the unique beauty of natural wood and modern design, Live Edge Slabs Reno-Tahoe is excited to bring visions to life with custom furniture pieces.

Live-edge wood, a slab cut from the heart of a tree with its growing edge intact, gives sculptural heft to built-in furnishings such as kitchen islands, bookshelves and bathroom sinks.

It takes eight minutes to cut each 11-foot-long slab because the wood is so hard, said Tom Rogers, owner of Woodhill Firewood, which takes in 600 tons a day from tree trimming and removal jobs.

Students and alumni at UVA Sawmilling are transforming 35 tons of white oak and cedar into benches, raised beds and more.

A couple of months ago, they saw a listing on Facebook Marketplace for large pieces of an old cedar tree, so they drove from Hudson to Crystal River to take a look in person.

A beloved 200-year-old beech tree in downtown Ashland had to be cut down, ... Merle was cutting slabs this past week, with slabs weighing more than 800 pounds and measure 4-by-10 feet.