As you can see, surrounding trees are clothed in green leaves
while this monarch of the forest has only bare branches.
.
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Tree Work
Tuesday, 28 October 2025
This magnificent red oak has been a feature of our property, clearly since before we moved here all these many year's ago, decades actually. But over the last five years it has declined. Leafs out more and more poorly, displays increasingly bare branches during the growing season. So, alas and with regret, we decided to have it taken down. This is that story.
As you can see, surrounding trees are clothed in green leaves
while this monarch of the forest has only bare branches.
.
The trunk is massive. There are major branches that could serve as trees.
It is not as simple as sawing through the base and dropping it in one go. Forget about
the Zen koan, "if a tree falls in the forest with no one to hear, does it make sound?"
Definitely, this tree would make tremendous, thunderous sounds. And damage other trees.
Steve and Son Tree, the company doing the work, has a crane truck. Which extends. And extends.
.
Lifting so the tree may be taken down section by section, layer by layer.
Deciding where to make the first cuts. As it is said, measure twice. Cut once.
Look just below the bucket and boom arm, and you can see the the falling branch.
A pile of the first cut branches, piled up on the driveway.
.
.
Cut . . . falling . . . going down. Gravity does it again.
.
Now it is mid-afternoon. Sections of the massive trunk are loaded for transport.
The stump, and tools that brought the tree down. I asked - could they estimate its age.
Their suggestion? If I really wanted to know, I could count the rings. But I think not.
A knight of the forest trees, armed not with a sword but rather his sizable chain saw.
A good day's work. And some we kept for firewood. Paul will cut to 18-inch stove length.
It needs to be split. He'll turn log splitter vertical. Standing dead and ready to burn.
If you have any comments or questions, you can e-mail me: jgglatt@gmail.com
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