Yes, many trees have fallen already on our hillside. It is not a pristine site—it was logged cleanly about 100 years ago, by a neighbor’s estimate. There is always a twinge of guilt as you watch the trees go down, but these lovely oaks, birches, maples and beeches will keep us warm for years to come, and we were as selective as possible when choosing what trees came down.
A bit of debate surrounded a large oak at the end of the driveway. It was tight to the first turn, and had a large scar and cavity on one side of its base. It would be tricky to take down safely, which is why we didn’t remove it from the beginning. Today our tough-tree specialist arrived, and after some discussion and serious cogitation, we decided it had to come down. This was no small undertaking.
Joe, the tree guy, warmed up with a dead birch, not too big but big enough to be dangerous. He climbed it with spikes on his boots and a belt he looped around the trunk, going about half-way up so he could tie off some ropes which would help guide the fall. The other end of the ropes were attached to a few sturdy trees as well as the excavator, which provided pressure as Joe made the saw cuts at the base. As the tree began its fall, and the excavator pulled the line taut, the birch snapped in half and crashed to the ground in a heap. It was a graphic illustration as to why you have to be extremely careful when cutting dead or dying trees—they can go anywhere at any time.
This was all business as usual for Joe, and he moved on to the big oak. Once again, he climbed it to a big fork about half-way up, and began attaching ropes. He also attached a steel cable, which was attached to a chain, which was attached to the excavator. This sounds fast, but the whole process took about an hour. Then, he sharpened his big saw, and started cutting. He took his time, taking out a bit here and there, finally making the notch which would hopefully dictate the direction of the fall. If it fell the wrong way, it could block the road and take out power lines. He made his cuts from one side, then another, then back to the first. He then had Jeremy put a bit of pressure on the chain, kept cutting, a bit more pressure, a bit more cutting, a lean, a creak, a groan, a crack, a whoosh! and a CRASH! It came down right in the driveway, a perfect placement, in my eyes. We spent the rest of the day bucking it up and chipping all of the brush that came from it and a few more trees.
Joe was a funny guy. When I asked his opinion on whether to take it or leave it, if it was healthy enough to stand or not, he said, “It could go next year, two years, ten years. Who knows? We all gotta go sometime.” And later, “Well, if it does fall, it’s not going to take out your power, just your neighbors. It’ll also block them in. But, that’s why you live in the country, right? You gotta expect this.” He was a bit nuts, all in all.
Note to self: don’t wear your NY Yankee cap when subcontractors will be at the site. The chances of them being a fellow Yankee fan are slim, while the chances of them being a Red Sox fan are pretty good.
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