A designer from Sao Paulo is working with the city to make use of fallen trees to turn them into sculpture furniture to line the city's parks, streets and plazas.

Brazil's largest city was slammed by several strong storms this rainy season that brought with them heavy rain, lightning and winds as high as 90kmph.

More than 1,700 trees fell throughout the city as a result of the powerful storms leaving the city asking what it could do with all the wood and fallen trunks and branches strewn throughout the city.

The city asked artists and other residents to find ways to make use of the fallen trees and one artist, Hugo Franca, has answered the call.

Franca has been carving massive benches and other pieces of furniture and play equipment out of the trees.

Franca said he thought it was important to reuse the wood from the trees so as to not to have to cut down forested areas to harvest the valuable wood that was tossed around the city by the powerful storms.

Franca takes the fallen trees and designs the sculpture and then cuts them to shape using a chainsaw. The pieces are then carefully sanded down and covered in varnish to protect the wood.

Several of his creations are already being used as sustainable art furniture and residents come to them to sit and relax, have a chat or read as they enjoy the day.

Franca is still busy at work and there is plenty of wood to go around with more pieces of sculpture furniture popping up to delight residents every week.

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