Trees live a long time. If you can’t put your arms around the tree trunk you know it’s old. When they put a gash in your big ol' tree delivering bricks during a remodel…you know the tree has (probably) prematurely reached the end of its lifespan. You know, but you hope you’re wrong.
I love my trees. I cried when lightning took out an old crab apple tree twenty years ago. For this tree I haven’t actually cried. I’ve had a couple of years to come to grips with “maybe” losing the tree. I put off calling the men with saws and a crane as long as I could. Miracles happen; teams rally in the last twenty seconds of the game. Unfortunately the Green Man was fresh out of miracles. Finally, in December I signed the death warrant and waited for the men with saws and a crane to arrive.
Then the rain began. If it rains, the ground’s too soft; they can’t get cranes in. (Did I mention that it’s a big tree?) Mother Nature rained every few days for months. Big ol’ tree started dropping limbs. Usually on fences. The tree span is so big it could take out multiple fences. Two of the limbs are still where they fell because they are tree-sized. They laugh at our puny chain saw.
Next, in the middle of February, the wind arrived. Followed by a tornado that had me locked in the interior hallway-of-nine-closed-doors with all my animals and wondering how much more wind the tree could take before the big crash-smash-there-goes-my-house. March, known as tornado season around here, is not good time to be in the vicinity of gi-normous trees which are sixty feet of deadfall. (They fall; you’re dead.)
Today the crane has finally rumbled into the yard. I couldn’t be happier. Who’d have thought I could go from sad optimist to cheering realist? By the end of today or tomorrow, all that will be left is a stump level with the ground. In another month or so (they’re backed up) they’ll send out the stump grinding team. I’ll actually be able to sleep deeply tonight, no need to keep one eye open and an ear straining for the tell-tale sounds of high wind.
No tears yet. I’ll probably cry when the first summer utility bill hits. I will have lost thousands of dollars in eco-benefits from losing this tree. It's not just the shade, it's water shed management, air filtering, etc. Big old trees need to be saved. There is even a registry for our big old trees started in 1940. http://www.americanforests.org/resources/bigtrees/
I love my trees. I cried when lightning took out an old crab apple tree twenty years ago. For this tree I haven’t actually cried. I’ve had a couple of years to come to grips with “maybe” losing the tree. I put off calling the men with saws and a crane as long as I could. Miracles happen; teams rally in the last twenty seconds of the game. Unfortunately the Green Man was fresh out of miracles. Finally, in December I signed the death warrant and waited for the men with saws and a crane to arrive.
Then the rain began. If it rains, the ground’s too soft; they can’t get cranes in. (Did I mention that it’s a big tree?) Mother Nature rained every few days for months. Big ol’ tree started dropping limbs. Usually on fences. The tree span is so big it could take out multiple fences. Two of the limbs are still where they fell because they are tree-sized. They laugh at our puny chain saw.
Next, in the middle of February, the wind arrived. Followed by a tornado that had me locked in the interior hallway-of-nine-closed-doors with all my animals and wondering how much more wind the tree could take before the big crash-smash-there-goes-my-house. March, known as tornado season around here, is not good time to be in the vicinity of gi-normous trees which are sixty feet of deadfall. (They fall; you’re dead.)
Today the crane has finally rumbled into the yard. I couldn’t be happier. Who’d have thought I could go from sad optimist to cheering realist? By the end of today or tomorrow, all that will be left is a stump level with the ground. In another month or so (they’re backed up) they’ll send out the stump grinding team. I’ll actually be able to sleep deeply tonight, no need to keep one eye open and an ear straining for the tell-tale sounds of high wind.
No tears yet. I’ll probably cry when the first summer utility bill hits. I will have lost thousands of dollars in eco-benefits from losing this tree. It's not just the shade, it's water shed management, air filtering, etc. Big old trees need to be saved. There is even a registry for our big old trees started in 1940. http://www.americanforests.org/resources/bigtrees/
I’ll need to plant another tree. Any tree advice from you gardeners out there? Anybody else have spring cleaning that includes removal of a tree? Anybody know a good fence guy?
