Tuesday, February 04, 2020

Suddenly, No Tree

     It was a good tree.  It was, sadly, no longer a sound tree; the center was split internally.  And yesterday, it was taken apart and the very largest parts were hauled away intact, to go do some good in the world. The branches and limbs were turned into chips and I'm told there are uses for that, too.

     What we're left with is a stump in the back yard, a stump that is six feet across at the widest point: it was a big tree.

     Removal involved a large, man-carrying, caterpillar-tracked knuckleboom; a telescoping crane with an arm about a hundred feet tall, a woodchipper truck and a flatbed, plus a good-sized crew and an assortment of chainsaws.  It was not a small effort. 

     The stump will be ground up in a week or two.  Today, weather permitting, the crew will come back and work on the smaller tree, a maple that has been shedding twigs for a couple of weeks now.

6 comments:

Eck! said...

Is there anything that will support antennas?

IF not a tactical quantity of Rohn-25 maybe in order.

Eck!

Roberta X said...

The far end of the G5RV has been held up by an improvised mast since shortly after I first put it in; the big tree supported the middle of that side of it, mostly to keep the antenna clear of the ropes for my swing.

I'll have to work out something to replace the maple, but it was holding the feedpoint of the Carolina Windom and I don't know if I'll put that antanna back up.

Rob K said...

From Tam's picture, a slice off the butt end of that hackberry properly stained would make a gorgeous coffee table. Hackberry is also decent firewood.

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

Reminds me of the gigantic 40-plus-year-old maple we had taken out of the back yard in the fall of '06. It was seven trees grown together; you could see all of them in the stump. Planted by my sister and me when we were tykes. :)

This spring, I have to move the north end of my G5RV out of the elm it's currently attached to. I have a feeling the elm is going to have to come out. Luckily there is another maple right next to it that still looks good, and is probably the tree I should have put the wire in in the first place. Live and learn.

The Old Man said...

God bless the lack of injuries as well as affording the project without becoming penurious. Selling the cats may help (BSEG). Very happy to see your changes and waiting for the antenna updatte.

pigpen51 said...

My dad had a Maple tree taken down around '84 or so, that was just about as big. I cut as much of it up for fire wood as I could, but when I got to the thickest part, I just could not split that stuff, or cut it, with a 14" blade. That old wood, even Maple, is tough.
I had antennas in his yard, as well, when I was living there. Mostly contacts north and south, from Canada to Puerto Rico. With an old Heathkit HW 7, 2.5 watts.