It should come as no surprise that a forester would have a yard full of trees. The benefits of having trees, however, must be balanced aganist the risks they pose.
A certain water oak tree (species Quercus nigra) held my attention for a long time. Water oaks are rather notorious for their tendency to develop rotten sections on their trunks. Several years ago, a large limb fell from the tree closest to my house, exposing a rotten spot about 35 feet above ground level. Fortunately the limb fell onto the fence rather than the house, and the damage was quickly repaired.
I knew that it was a matter of time before the tree had to come down. The tree’s location off the southwest corner of the house meant that it was providing good shade in the summer. I kept it as long as I could, but year by year the area of decay enlarged. Sooner or later, the tree would snap in two.
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If a tree is not badly damaged, arborists can climb to the upper reaches, and dismantle the tree in sections which are lowered to the ground with ropes. My oak was in such a condition that it was safer to limit the crew’s exposure to the upper crown. I had watched arborists working in my neighborhood with bucket trucks and with cranes. I contacted one who was recommended by a neighbor, and an appointment was made.
When the crew arrived, the first decision was where to park the crane truck. I was a bit surprised when the crew leader said that she would park next to my house. My yard is blessed cursed with red clay soil which is quite squishy when wet, and I didn’t want huge ruts in the front yard. Of course there was a solution!
Thick sheets of plywood serve to protect the yard from damage.
Stabilizers were extended to hold the crane truck securely in place.
With the truck in place, the crane was extended to its working length. One crew member climbed the tree to remove the two large upper branches.
The smaller of the two forks has been connected to the crane, and severed from the tree. The branch doesn’t look all that big, does it?
Now for the really exciting part, from the homeowner’s point of view. The branch is being carried directly over my house.
If this pic looks familiar, it’s because I posted it shortly after the work was done.
A short video (18 seconds) of the action:
What happens next is equally important. The branch must be lowered to the ground without causing any injuries or property damage. This 52-second video shows the branch being carefully placed in the street (which fortunately is a dead end road with minimal traffic).
That chunk of wood looks a lot bigger now. Imagine how big it looked to the guy halfway up the tree with the chain saw! With that task out of the way, he positions himself to cut the other fork.
Note that he’s doubly strapped to the tree.
To safely lift the upper part of the remaining tree crown, somebody has to attach the crane straps to the tree. Who is going to do that, and how? Hint: Not the guy who is already up there.
Once he has been lifted high into the tree, the worker firmly attaches the straps to the tree trunk.
Obviously he cannot stay with the crane rigging. How does he get back to the ground? He rappels down (I didn’t get any pics of that phase of the job).
Now it’s time for Part 2 of the Big Show. The tree trunk is cut in two, and is lifted into the sky.
There was still one more piece of the tree requiring the services of the crane:
Now it was safe to drop pieces of the tree into the yard. The worker cut small segments from the tree trunk until it was safe to pull the remaining stub to the ground.
The crew cut the tree into firewood lengths and hauled the debris away. I was left with a nice supply of firewood, but of course there was splitting to be done.
See that rotten piece in the background? Here is a closer view.
That rind of solid wood is all that held up the top 50 feet of the tree.
Did I make the correct choice in having the tree cut down? I certainly think so!
Now all that remains is to split and stack the wood. Oak is usually easy to split, and this specimen fits the description.
Easy splitting!
So, my fellow Bucketeers, that is my contribution to the Friday Sequence series. No birds were involved; instead I offer TIF (trees in flight) for your enjoyment.
It’s your turn. Let’s find out what’s happening in your part of the world.
