pianomanpj
Member
Okay, I knew it would finally come to this someday. I've been carrying around some baggage with me that I just can't seem to shake. And after seeing Frank's awesome score (http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=35352), I just have to come clean.
About five years ago I was having a problem with two trees from a neighbor's yard brushing against my roof. One was an incredibly tall white pine tree with a few low limbs that would just barely touch at the eave. The other wasn't an overly large tree, but it was growing at an alarming rate. It was a box elder. Its trunk was twisted and distorted, and covered with burls up and down its length. It was ugly and beautiful all at the same time. But it had limbs that were in constant contact with my roof. I knew these branches would eventually do more harm than good.
So I contacted my neighbor, explained the situation, and asked what she was going to do. She said she would have them pruned. Seeing as that she is a local politician, I believed her.
Now I am the inquisitive sort, and I made it a point to be home when the tree pruners showed up a few days later. It was a sunny day, and I was perched atop a third floor patio. The view of the scene was magnificent.
The pruners showed up in two trucks and a cherry picker. Along with their usual compliment of tools, they also brought a huge wood chipper. They surveyed the area, held a small meeting, and set out to their respective tasks.
They first worked on the pine tree. While a few workers were positioning the cherry picker, another worker shimmied up the tree. When everyone was in position, they would tie off a branch to a rope on the cherry picker, and then cut it from the tree with a chainsaw. The cut end would drop towards the ground, while the tethered end would point straight in the air. They would then lower the branch to a few workers below who would haul it to the chipper. I was quite amazed by this methodical process and how fast they worked.
After they finished with the pine tree, they began moving equipment to the box elder. I was antsy to see how they were going to pull off this pruning! They started with the same process: tether, cut, lower, chip. This time they were moving at a slower pace because more contact was being made with my roof. But the chipper still made quick work of those branches. Little did I know it, but things were about to go south.
They next tied the rope near the top of the main trunk of the box elder. Just as I was pondering why they had done that, I heard the chainsaw roar to life again. In a short and surreal minute, wood chips had flown everywhere, the box elder shuddered, and then the saw went silent. The rope slowly went slack as they lowered the tree to the ground. It was like watching a war movie when a soldier is clutching his fallen buddy, but lies him down gingerly because he has to move on.
Several chainsaws sprang to life and snapped me out of my daze. I hollered to the workers, but no one could hear me from the patio. They were much too busy removing the branches from the main trunk and feeding them into the chipper. I ran down two flights of stairs, and rounded the backside of the house. I made it just in time to see the end of the main trunk disappear into the chipper.
It was gone. That beautiful, gnarly burl-laden work of art was gone. All that was left were leaves, a few twigs and sawdust. And an empty space where a tree used to be.
I found out later that the owner of the tree had decided to have it removed and not pruned. It was a fast growing tree, and the pruners would have had to come back in a few years otherwise. Besides, according to the pruners, it was considered a "junk" tree.
I still think about what could have been. I occasionally think about the pen blanks that were hiding inside. All I had to do was to say something to the owner before the pruners came. All I had to do was ask to have that trunk, and they probably would have delivered it right to my garage. I try not to dwell on it too much.
At the end of my driveway is the largest black locust I have ever seen. It has a triple trunk and stands about 70 feet tall or better. No large burls at the bottom, but there are some higher up. The trunks are very straight, and are 16" and bigger in diameter.
No, I'm not going to be calling those pruners any time soon. And yes, I DO have my own chainsaw.
About five years ago I was having a problem with two trees from a neighbor's yard brushing against my roof. One was an incredibly tall white pine tree with a few low limbs that would just barely touch at the eave. The other wasn't an overly large tree, but it was growing at an alarming rate. It was a box elder. Its trunk was twisted and distorted, and covered with burls up and down its length. It was ugly and beautiful all at the same time. But it had limbs that were in constant contact with my roof. I knew these branches would eventually do more harm than good.
So I contacted my neighbor, explained the situation, and asked what she was going to do. She said she would have them pruned. Seeing as that she is a local politician, I believed her.
Now I am the inquisitive sort, and I made it a point to be home when the tree pruners showed up a few days later. It was a sunny day, and I was perched atop a third floor patio. The view of the scene was magnificent.
The pruners showed up in two trucks and a cherry picker. Along with their usual compliment of tools, they also brought a huge wood chipper. They surveyed the area, held a small meeting, and set out to their respective tasks.
They first worked on the pine tree. While a few workers were positioning the cherry picker, another worker shimmied up the tree. When everyone was in position, they would tie off a branch to a rope on the cherry picker, and then cut it from the tree with a chainsaw. The cut end would drop towards the ground, while the tethered end would point straight in the air. They would then lower the branch to a few workers below who would haul it to the chipper. I was quite amazed by this methodical process and how fast they worked.
After they finished with the pine tree, they began moving equipment to the box elder. I was antsy to see how they were going to pull off this pruning! They started with the same process: tether, cut, lower, chip. This time they were moving at a slower pace because more contact was being made with my roof. But the chipper still made quick work of those branches. Little did I know it, but things were about to go south.
They next tied the rope near the top of the main trunk of the box elder. Just as I was pondering why they had done that, I heard the chainsaw roar to life again. In a short and surreal minute, wood chips had flown everywhere, the box elder shuddered, and then the saw went silent. The rope slowly went slack as they lowered the tree to the ground. It was like watching a war movie when a soldier is clutching his fallen buddy, but lies him down gingerly because he has to move on.
Several chainsaws sprang to life and snapped me out of my daze. I hollered to the workers, but no one could hear me from the patio. They were much too busy removing the branches from the main trunk and feeding them into the chipper. I ran down two flights of stairs, and rounded the backside of the house. I made it just in time to see the end of the main trunk disappear into the chipper.
It was gone. That beautiful, gnarly burl-laden work of art was gone. All that was left were leaves, a few twigs and sawdust. And an empty space where a tree used to be.
I found out later that the owner of the tree had decided to have it removed and not pruned. It was a fast growing tree, and the pruners would have had to come back in a few years otherwise. Besides, according to the pruners, it was considered a "junk" tree.
I still think about what could have been. I occasionally think about the pen blanks that were hiding inside. All I had to do was to say something to the owner before the pruners came. All I had to do was ask to have that trunk, and they probably would have delivered it right to my garage. I try not to dwell on it too much.
At the end of my driveway is the largest black locust I have ever seen. It has a triple trunk and stands about 70 feet tall or better. No large burls at the bottom, but there are some higher up. The trunks are very straight, and are 16" and bigger in diameter.
No, I'm not going to be calling those pruners any time soon. And yes, I DO have my own chainsaw.
