Back in June, Mother Nature got cranky and slashed a big 60 foot pine tree down the center with a bolt of lightning. It's been quite a process cleaning up. Today was the final step in the journey. The heart-breaking process of cutting down the half of the tree that remained standing. I really loved that tree. She gave my yard a sense of being a sheltered nook in the woods. Now she's gone. It was a fascinating process to watch and being me I took almost 300 photos. Obviously I can't post them all here but I've put them in an album at Picassa for anyone interested in looking through them. A fair amount of repetition, but still, I think they give a sense of the process... and of the terrible blank space left by this giant living being who has blessed my eyes every day for the past three years. All of the pictures below can be viewed full size if you click on them.
I've skipped a lot of steps, but hopefully this gives you the idea.... They actually kind of tie themselves to the tree as they move up, cutting branches off as they go.
As the branches came down, they carted them to the chipper and made short work of them...
And down she goes.... the last green....
When they got to this point, to make sure the tree came down in my yard, they tied a rope around it, cut a big wedge out and then pulled int down in the direction of my yard.
I couldn't believe how fast and efficient they were. They worked like a well oiled machine, clearing as they cut. They started at around 8:30 or 9:00 and were pretty much done by 1:00. Wow.
My new sky line... So different and empty. Apparently the people across the street feel the loss too. I hadn't thought about it, but a 60 foot tree impacts their view too.
16 comments:
Geez..it is crazy how fast that stuff comes down. Those guys know their job. I bet they had a big dinner after that one.
I'm sorry about your tree. I remember reading about it, back when it first was hit.
I love trees.
I am sorry....we had a bad storm 2 years ago that caused the loss of many trees and the big Maple that was at our former house was hit by lighting. Strange...Poor tree...
Well, Katherine, it is a real tragedy to lose a tree the size of that one - one you've looked at for so long. I'm sorry. :(
I'm sorry for the loss of that tree. There are others that may help ease the lack of green where that one was.
It is sad to lose a friend. Still, it would have been sadder yet to leave it standing and have it fall on your house or your neighbor's house.
I have seen my dad and my brothers do this work. It is a hard job, but after a while each person knows his or her part and if they get busy it goes pretty quick.
Yes, that was one big tree. We had a tree that had to come down last year, so now we have a sunny backyard. So I have more choices of flowers to grow. But your tree was a really beauty. I would miss one like that.
I can understand your loss. What a beautiful old, tall tree that was. And the process was fascinating. You have a wonderful documentation of the step-by-step procedure of its taking down. Those men are obviously expert in what they do. How fortunate you are to have such a wonderful yard. It looks lovely there.
So sorry about your tree. I live in a pine tree area and they are all protected. My neighbor had to cut down his because the tree was so ill, it left a huge hole in the neighborhood.
Sorry about your tree but you've got a fine view out of it now. They have to know what they're doing when chopping down a tree. Did you get to keep all the wood for the fire?
Just responses to a couple of questions:
onangelwings... I'm pretty sure they went for some food even before they went home. They worked with only a couple of short pauses from 8 until 1:00. I gave them a snack but they didn't stop for it... took it with them when they left.
akelamalu - unfortunately to reasons I couldn't keep it for fire wood. No fireplace and even more important, white pine is apparently not good for burning because it has a lot of resin in it and burning it leads to chimney fires.
Oh - and thanks to all of you for your kind words and your visit.
What a great series of shots! I would've done the same thing (300 shots!). I think you did a nice job of chronicling this event. It is strange, though, when something that prominent is gone.
thanks for sharing this story.
I'm sorry for your loss. Looking at the photos you took during the tree removal reminds me of the way I photographed the workers who helped me strip my lawn when I finally sought help reclaiming my overgrown front yard. It’s sad to see an old friend like this tree go … and I’m glad you have ALL of the photos to look at whenever you choose.
Hugs and blessings,
I feel that loss... A fine friend she was, Raven.
As the poet said, "only God can make a tree" - probably because it's so hard to figure out how to get the bark on. ~Woody Allen
nowhere near as big as this but I saw them demolish a tree down the avenue in just the same manner. That "chipper" does turn a big tree into sawdust pretty eficciently.
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