We’ve been talking about it for quite some. After the area’s damaging wind storm last week, we decided to get a quote and have some of the trees closest to the house removed. These are all trees that are outside my ability to take down, even if I were in shape enough to do the work. The estimate was very reasonable and the tree service company has good recommendations.
The branches of the biggest tree, the one with the orange-red leaves in the above picture, spread far out over the roof of our porch. Because of the perpetual shade on that part of the roof, we’ve had problems with moss and lichen growth on the roof.
It’s a wonderful old shade tree that was quite young and slender when we moved here in 1981. At that time it was one of just a few hardwoods in a yard that was full of tall skinny pines. Unfortunately, it is now a hazard to the house that needs to be addressed.
There are four other “smaller” trees that will be removed. Three are tall pines, two of which have a slight lean toward the house, looming over the camper when it is parked next to the house.
The last tree is an ash that has been leaning toward the driveway and power lines for it’s entire life. It’s already lost all of its leaves. (I photo-edited the image to make the tree stand out from its background.) It was more of a threat to the house’s power and phone (DSL) lines that to the house. The tree service owner pointed out at the back side of the tree that it looked like its weight was causing it to lean even more. The tree service is going to cut this one up in 14” lengths for us as ash is a nice, slow burning firewood.
We’re not sure when the tree service is going to be able to get to us. They have a lot of business right now with trees down from last week’s storm. We’re hoping that they’ll be able to fit us in between some of the larger jobs.
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Hi Mike – they do look very sadly like they could do with coming down – before disaster strikes … so I hope the tree company can help you out fairly soon – cheers Hilary
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We do, too. Removing the tress will also give us more of a open area as a buffer for wild fires. Up until the last few days, we had had a dry spell that increased the fire danger, but, fortunately, there wasn’t any fires. Most of the counties in this part of the state had banned open burning due to the danger, which helped. Most of the bans have been lifted.
Mike recently posted…Lois Adolf–1939.
We had to cut down one tree near our home and it broke our heart. Safety however comes first.
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As you can see in the pictures, we’ve got a lot of trees so, most of the time, losing a tree is no big deal. More will grow from sees that have blown, flown, or were dropping in in bird droppings — or we can just plant.
Losing our beautiful dogwood tree last year was sad.
Losing the mulberry tree a few years earlier was a blessing — no more purple stains left all over the place by the birds.
Mike recently posted…Lois Adolf–1939.
Trees coming down, felling trees – very emotional. Tapping into the primal, archaic. The first tree I remember coming down was the one above my first own “piece of land”. I was about eleven or so. My father had dug over a flower/vegetable bed for me, showed me how to make straight drills in the soil, sow the seed. It was quite wonderful. On one side I grew herbs, radishes and carrots, on the other some robust flowers. I sold my mother the edible over the kitchen window (discounted since we were family) and gave her flowers for free. Then one autumn night a storm struck. And that lovely apple tree, the one that gave dappled shade over my plot of land, the one I spent many time up in there on some forked branch, reading, was felled. Just like that. Roots exposed. However, scant comfort, that was just nature taking its course. In your case: Needs must.
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When we first moved here in 1981, our yard, front and back, was full of mostly tall thin pines. After a couple of dry years as a volunteer fire fighter, I recognized how much of a fire danger having the woods so close to the house could be and, over several years, cut a lot of them down so that there are open areas between the mass of trees and the house. While I’m fairly good at dropping a tree where I want it to fall, I’m not confident enough in amateur lumberjack skills to take on these five tree.
Interestingly enough, I have a nephew who is a for real lumberjack in the Pacific northwest.
Mike recently posted…Lois Adolf–1939.