Oaky Dokey
I was sitting on the couch after 4:00 yesterday when all of a sudden there was this loud crackling, crunching sound followed by a tremendous boom and vibrations that seemed to travel straight up from the floor. I stood up and started turning around while my brain was processing the sounds, and before I completed my 180 degree turn I knew I'd just heard a tree falling.
Sure enough, I look down at the bottom left corner of the hill and the massive oak tree that once stood there was now laying on the ground, with a broken rootball facing up the hill. This tree had to have been hundreds of years old. It was growing about twenty feet or so from the bottom of the hill, on a slant. And its growth habit over the decades caused it to rise at an angle that was at least 35 or 40 degrees, as it tried to reach the sun from under the other trees higher up the hill. It never looked perilous though because I assumed, with how old the tree was and being on a hill, that the roots would have gone deep to get water.
Water also likely being the catalyst for this disaster, as the "snowstorm" yesterday had turned into heavy rains, with the ground already being soaking wet for weeks with the very mild winter we've had. That combined with the angle of the tree must have caused it to uproot itself.
I went down there to take some pictures, and as I was walking my feet were literally sinking into the soil it was so wet. Upon nearing the tree I was overcome with this uncomfortable feeling. I know I've related it to people before who also have shared in the sensation. It is just that feeling of something being so large that it gives you a foreboding of being unnatural. Like looking up at a skyscraper or being near a cruise ship. Basically, anything that is so huge it stirs almost a sense of fear. The tree is so large, especially laying there on its side, that it just filled me with a discomfort seeing it.
The cleanup is going to be an absolute nightmare. I think the task is too big for me to take on simply with a chainsaw. I may be able to take off all the smaller branches but the trunk itself is gigantic. I am terrible at estimating this stuff, but I'd say it's 5 feet or more across. Two other factors that will make it difficult are that it is currently so wet down there, there's no way we could have anyone out to deal with it. And secondly, there's no access on our property to get a truck down there. Perhaps we could talk to our back neighbor, and they may be fine with having a truck drive through the bottom of their property to get to ours. But even then, it is so wet down there that can't possibly happen till Spring or even after (since Spring is generally a wet season).
It makes me sad too to lose this old tree. The oak trees on the property are all a bit ancient and haggard looking. We should have an arborist out to inspect them all. Many of them have dead wood, sometimes large branches of it, that likely should be trimmed out. It is totally possible that there could be some kind of disease at work too. The trees I am guessing are the original residents of these fields and as I said above must be at least a hundred some years old, if not double that.
I hate to lose any of them, as oak trees bring such biodiversity to our property. The amount of life happening in these trees, even in the dead of winter, cannot be compared to any other tree I've seen. I feel like it is critical that we get some new ones planted now so that they have a lifetime to mature and replace these older ones that will inevitably die. That too is probably the only positive to this situation. That we now have a spot down at that bottom corner where we could plant a new tree of our choosing. Where as I do think it critical to get other oaks planted, it is also our opportunity to plant something different that will bring in others kinds of life. A northern catalpa would be at the top of my list. Or an osage orange, though I need to do research on those trees as I don't even know if they are native to the area.
Since the tree fell on our property, there's no real hurry to have it cleaned up. I don't think the back neighbors will care seeing it. In fact, they had one of their oak trees break last summer and I know it took them a while to deal with it. Though I think the guys sawed all the pieces down himself. I can't remember if he left the trunk, which was still ten or so feet high.
We have needed to have tree removal out here also because of an older oak that is pretty close to the house. It only has one living section on the two trunks that split from the main about nine feet up. One of these sections is alive and the other is dead. Behind this tree is a young maple tree that would be benefited if this oak was removed. Otherwise it is both shaded by the oak and somewhat hindered in it's growth because of it. Of all the oaks to lose, this particular one would probably be the least painful.
When we were first looking at the house there was a massive, dead oak tree about thirty feet down from the patio that the original owner had removed before we closed. She also had another massive oak right on the property line by the asshole neighbor's shed that she had cut down. It was still alive, but had a lot of dead wood and was leaning towards their property, so she kind of did us a favor by taking it out. The wood from that tree is still sitting in a pile over there, though we've started using the logs as border for the bed we are going to put along that fence. A project that would probably be father along if those assholes didn't always come outside the second they see us come out.
The huge "New Orleans" oak that sits in the center of the yard makes me nervous. It's actually two oak trees that have grown together for a century and there is a steel cable between the two, holding them together. But if the one side were to ever fall, it would destroy the front bedrooms. Luckily, for now, there's not that much dead wood but it will be a sad day when that tree has to be removed. It is beautiful and a statement in the center of the lawn.
Most of the oaks on the hill in back are skinny, though I don't know if that means that are that young. I think they all grew under a canopy of other trees as the entire property was likely heavily wooded a hundred years ago. I can surmise that because there are many divots in the yard, front and back, where there were obviously trees at some earlier period that were taken out or rotted away. So most of the lower branches on these trees are gone and only the canopies at the tops remain. Like you might see with trees in a forest preserve.
I just hate to lose any of them. I feel like it'd have an immediate effect on the wildlife. We'd lose interest to birds and insects as the oaks diminish. And it is difficult to know where to start new trees, because we do need the open area in front to be able to garden. And in the back the canopy of the existing trees would likely inhibit the growth of their replacements. We have a few shagbark hickories, which are also great looking trees that attract wildlife. I know those can grown in semi-shady areas when they are young. It could be an option to fill in some of the blanks down there. But, nothing beats an oak tree.
In fact, last fall I took a handful of acorns from one of them that I think was a more moisture tolerant species and threw them into the slough at the bottom of the hill in hopes that even just one might sprout into a tree and grow in there. The slough is so large that a tree or two wouldn't really affect things. And in fact, it'd probably do what I've already been championing about oaks and bring in even more wildlife.
All this tree maintenance is going to come with a hefty bill as well. I know it's not cheap to have trees removed. Which is part of my motivation behind trying to do some of the smaller stuff myself. I honestly don't mind tree trunks and log piles. In fact, the log pile that sits at the property line in back with our cat neighbor lady's wooded yard has been an amazing example of how nature utilizes trees even after they die.
For starters Bosco, Dr. Skirt and their feral kitten siblings lived and hid in that woodpile for months when they were young. Woodchucks and squirrels have gnawed at the bark, stripped it bear really on all the logs there, keeping their teeth worn down. I've seen insects and birds all over the pile. All kinds of interesting mosses and funguses have grown on it. I haven't seen, but I am quite sure there are other rodents besides squirrels inhabiting it. Not to mention toads most likely.
We had a large branch fall on the front lawn a few weeks ago, and my intention was to add that to the pile. If I do tackle some of the work on this newly fallen tree, I'd likely add what I could to the pile as well. Or make a second one. There's not much going on along that line of property. It is very "natural" and unkempt over there, which is fine. It's part of the beauty of it. And in the summer months because of other things closer to the house, you don't see much of it unless you walk over there.
Sadly, we don't have the wood stove I dream of getting, otherwise all this oak wood would be incredible to burn and heat the house. Though, I suppose we've got plenty of old trees that we could toss into some stove we get in the future.
The Sparrow also commented, if we had the tree service out here, having these guys deal with the giant pieces of tree trunk that free mulch service dumped on our driveway back in late summer. Personally, I love the trunks and want to utilize them somewhere. Unfortunately, they weigh hundreds of pounds and we can't physically move them. And with branch stumps on them they are impossible to roll. But, I think they'd make awesome bug hotels or just basic natural elements around the property. The Sparrow disagrees and doesn't want "logs all over the place". If I could just move them somehow myself, I'd get them out of his view and still make use of them. They certainly can't sit on the driveway forever. I had thought if it snowed I might be able to slide them around the yard.
All these things to do. But it's winter, it's too cold and I have no motivation. Of course, it'd solve our space issues wanting to both garden and plant trees, if we could somehow buy all the neighboring properties. Dare to dream.
Sure enough, I look down at the bottom left corner of the hill and the massive oak tree that once stood there was now laying on the ground, with a broken rootball facing up the hill. This tree had to have been hundreds of years old. It was growing about twenty feet or so from the bottom of the hill, on a slant. And its growth habit over the decades caused it to rise at an angle that was at least 35 or 40 degrees, as it tried to reach the sun from under the other trees higher up the hill. It never looked perilous though because I assumed, with how old the tree was and being on a hill, that the roots would have gone deep to get water.
Water also likely being the catalyst for this disaster, as the "snowstorm" yesterday had turned into heavy rains, with the ground already being soaking wet for weeks with the very mild winter we've had. That combined with the angle of the tree must have caused it to uproot itself.
I went down there to take some pictures, and as I was walking my feet were literally sinking into the soil it was so wet. Upon nearing the tree I was overcome with this uncomfortable feeling. I know I've related it to people before who also have shared in the sensation. It is just that feeling of something being so large that it gives you a foreboding of being unnatural. Like looking up at a skyscraper or being near a cruise ship. Basically, anything that is so huge it stirs almost a sense of fear. The tree is so large, especially laying there on its side, that it just filled me with a discomfort seeing it.
The cleanup is going to be an absolute nightmare. I think the task is too big for me to take on simply with a chainsaw. I may be able to take off all the smaller branches but the trunk itself is gigantic. I am terrible at estimating this stuff, but I'd say it's 5 feet or more across. Two other factors that will make it difficult are that it is currently so wet down there, there's no way we could have anyone out to deal with it. And secondly, there's no access on our property to get a truck down there. Perhaps we could talk to our back neighbor, and they may be fine with having a truck drive through the bottom of their property to get to ours. But even then, it is so wet down there that can't possibly happen till Spring or even after (since Spring is generally a wet season).
It makes me sad too to lose this old tree. The oak trees on the property are all a bit ancient and haggard looking. We should have an arborist out to inspect them all. Many of them have dead wood, sometimes large branches of it, that likely should be trimmed out. It is totally possible that there could be some kind of disease at work too. The trees I am guessing are the original residents of these fields and as I said above must be at least a hundred some years old, if not double that.
I hate to lose any of them, as oak trees bring such biodiversity to our property. The amount of life happening in these trees, even in the dead of winter, cannot be compared to any other tree I've seen. I feel like it is critical that we get some new ones planted now so that they have a lifetime to mature and replace these older ones that will inevitably die. That too is probably the only positive to this situation. That we now have a spot down at that bottom corner where we could plant a new tree of our choosing. Where as I do think it critical to get other oaks planted, it is also our opportunity to plant something different that will bring in others kinds of life. A northern catalpa would be at the top of my list. Or an osage orange, though I need to do research on those trees as I don't even know if they are native to the area.
Since the tree fell on our property, there's no real hurry to have it cleaned up. I don't think the back neighbors will care seeing it. In fact, they had one of their oak trees break last summer and I know it took them a while to deal with it. Though I think the guys sawed all the pieces down himself. I can't remember if he left the trunk, which was still ten or so feet high.
We have needed to have tree removal out here also because of an older oak that is pretty close to the house. It only has one living section on the two trunks that split from the main about nine feet up. One of these sections is alive and the other is dead. Behind this tree is a young maple tree that would be benefited if this oak was removed. Otherwise it is both shaded by the oak and somewhat hindered in it's growth because of it. Of all the oaks to lose, this particular one would probably be the least painful.
When we were first looking at the house there was a massive, dead oak tree about thirty feet down from the patio that the original owner had removed before we closed. She also had another massive oak right on the property line by the asshole neighbor's shed that she had cut down. It was still alive, but had a lot of dead wood and was leaning towards their property, so she kind of did us a favor by taking it out. The wood from that tree is still sitting in a pile over there, though we've started using the logs as border for the bed we are going to put along that fence. A project that would probably be father along if those assholes didn't always come outside the second they see us come out.
The huge "New Orleans" oak that sits in the center of the yard makes me nervous. It's actually two oak trees that have grown together for a century and there is a steel cable between the two, holding them together. But if the one side were to ever fall, it would destroy the front bedrooms. Luckily, for now, there's not that much dead wood but it will be a sad day when that tree has to be removed. It is beautiful and a statement in the center of the lawn.
Most of the oaks on the hill in back are skinny, though I don't know if that means that are that young. I think they all grew under a canopy of other trees as the entire property was likely heavily wooded a hundred years ago. I can surmise that because there are many divots in the yard, front and back, where there were obviously trees at some earlier period that were taken out or rotted away. So most of the lower branches on these trees are gone and only the canopies at the tops remain. Like you might see with trees in a forest preserve.
I just hate to lose any of them. I feel like it'd have an immediate effect on the wildlife. We'd lose interest to birds and insects as the oaks diminish. And it is difficult to know where to start new trees, because we do need the open area in front to be able to garden. And in the back the canopy of the existing trees would likely inhibit the growth of their replacements. We have a few shagbark hickories, which are also great looking trees that attract wildlife. I know those can grown in semi-shady areas when they are young. It could be an option to fill in some of the blanks down there. But, nothing beats an oak tree.
In fact, last fall I took a handful of acorns from one of them that I think was a more moisture tolerant species and threw them into the slough at the bottom of the hill in hopes that even just one might sprout into a tree and grow in there. The slough is so large that a tree or two wouldn't really affect things. And in fact, it'd probably do what I've already been championing about oaks and bring in even more wildlife.
All this tree maintenance is going to come with a hefty bill as well. I know it's not cheap to have trees removed. Which is part of my motivation behind trying to do some of the smaller stuff myself. I honestly don't mind tree trunks and log piles. In fact, the log pile that sits at the property line in back with our cat neighbor lady's wooded yard has been an amazing example of how nature utilizes trees even after they die.
For starters Bosco, Dr. Skirt and their feral kitten siblings lived and hid in that woodpile for months when they were young. Woodchucks and squirrels have gnawed at the bark, stripped it bear really on all the logs there, keeping their teeth worn down. I've seen insects and birds all over the pile. All kinds of interesting mosses and funguses have grown on it. I haven't seen, but I am quite sure there are other rodents besides squirrels inhabiting it. Not to mention toads most likely.
We had a large branch fall on the front lawn a few weeks ago, and my intention was to add that to the pile. If I do tackle some of the work on this newly fallen tree, I'd likely add what I could to the pile as well. Or make a second one. There's not much going on along that line of property. It is very "natural" and unkempt over there, which is fine. It's part of the beauty of it. And in the summer months because of other things closer to the house, you don't see much of it unless you walk over there.
Sadly, we don't have the wood stove I dream of getting, otherwise all this oak wood would be incredible to burn and heat the house. Though, I suppose we've got plenty of old trees that we could toss into some stove we get in the future.
The Sparrow also commented, if we had the tree service out here, having these guys deal with the giant pieces of tree trunk that free mulch service dumped on our driveway back in late summer. Personally, I love the trunks and want to utilize them somewhere. Unfortunately, they weigh hundreds of pounds and we can't physically move them. And with branch stumps on them they are impossible to roll. But, I think they'd make awesome bug hotels or just basic natural elements around the property. The Sparrow disagrees and doesn't want "logs all over the place". If I could just move them somehow myself, I'd get them out of his view and still make use of them. They certainly can't sit on the driveway forever. I had thought if it snowed I might be able to slide them around the yard.
All these things to do. But it's winter, it's too cold and I have no motivation. Of course, it'd solve our space issues wanting to both garden and plant trees, if we could somehow buy all the neighboring properties. Dare to dream.