Trees - April 2017

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Making little ones out of big ones.

We needed nine trees taken down around the house. My little buddy, Barking Spider and I took down several trees 20 to 25 years ago, but we're not quite as fast - or stupid - as we used to be. It would be nice to watch the next generation earn their keep. Frank is a licensed, bonded, and fully insured faller and has been doing this work for 20 years.

"I've never filed a claim with my insurance company, yet, knock on wood,"

Western incense cedars are explosive fuels. A subdivision with high fuel load and overcrowded forest is downhill from us. Eight cedars had to go. Four were easy, just be accurate hitting the mark where you lay them. Four needed to be climbed, topped, and taken down in sections. 

 

We have a group of three oak trees. Completion with a large ponderosa pine has forced them to grow tall and narrow reaching for sunlight. Healthy deciduous trees are an asset; no leaves in winter let welcome sunlight through and a leafed canopy in summer brings shade.

Taking down the ponderosa was text book work. Two old farts - Barking Spider and me - brought out chairs and observed from the deck. Frank showed not even a glimmer of performance anxiety. Frank limbed it on the way up, topped it, and then dropped section after section on the way back down. Text book.

Care to make a guess as to the age of this tree?

What will we do with the extra sunshine? We will add a few more fruit trees.

The big ponderosa? The same age as me. The four large cedars were all in their fifties. 


edit: additional photo of making little ones out of big ones -