Tuesday, July 13, 2021

WE HAD TO REMOVE TWO OF OUR LARGE TREES, AND THIS IS A BIT OF A RAMBLE

 A couple of weeks ago we said goodbye to two of our largest ash trees in the back garden.  The branches of one used to hang over our deck and provided wonderfully cooling shade in the hot summer months.  

They also provided shelter for our local birds, and I watched the squirrels chase each other around the tree trunk, occasionally resting on overhanging limbs and staring down in our direction, which always amused us.  They had us well trained as this posture always reminded me I needed to refill the feeders.  Both birds and squirrels were welcome, they all got their fair share.  The branches also used to be a 'squirrel road' to the deck, and also a route over the top of our house to the other tree where they had their nests.  Fortunately they never chewed through the roof to take residence in the attic, but I used to hear them scurry across in the early morning as I was waking up.  The woodpeckers would also sharpen their beaks right underneath our window on the aluminum siding, and we woke up to their ratatat-tat until we shooed them away by knocking on the window and saying, "Thank you, we are awake now!"  We had no need for alarm clocks.

The woodpeckers also hopped up and down the tree, methodically poking holes in the trunk to bury their treasures, or feasting on anything they could find.  We had a veritable eco system in those two trees and I am a tree hugger.  I hung on as long as I could.

These trees were 80 to a 100 feet tall.  We had been told by a professional that they were dying, and it would be safer to cut them down.  About a year before we bought our house and moved in, a neighbor across the street told us that one of the trees had fallen on the roof. It had been in the middle of these two trees.   I took note but at that time the others were healthy. 

After living here for 35 years and with that fallen tree still in mind, it was a worrisome thought not for just our safety but for that of our neighbors.  They were checked regularly.  The final conversation with our expert after we had seen signs of deterioration, was that they were dying, which spurred our decision.  It was time to call in the arborist, who did an amazing job.  Our houses in this neighborhood are close to each other but he knew what he was doing, and he safely took the tree down, with two helpers checking things out below.  

Our neighbor who is closest to us thanked us for taking them down.  We had told them in advance  what we were going to do.  We wanted to give them a head's up, so that they and their young children could stay safely away from the side of their house during the process.  There are two others on his side of the property that he also wants to see gone, and we will give him our arborist's name.  This gentleman has had plenty of work in our neighborhood, as many trees have had to be cut down over the years.  We were all impressed with his work.  He and his helpers left no mess, they cleaned everything up beautifully, and there was not one speck of sawdust or any kind of debris visible after they left.  A week later they arrived with machinery to grind up the stumps, and again left no trace.

I looked out there just now and have slowly been getting used to this open area, still don't like it but it was for the best, so says my head but my heart is still missing those trees.  

Suddenly a woodpecker landed on one of the deck balusters, and hopped up and down and pecked on it as if it were the trunk of the tree.  

He stopped for a minute and looked at what was missing.  

At first he was puzzled and looked in my direction.  

I fancied his expression was one of disgust!  Yes I am joking.  Projecting?  Very much so!

"Sorry woodpecker but I am so glad to see you" I said out loud. "Don't look at me like that, and please don't peck holes in that baluster, its not a tree trunk", this out loud and hubby laughed and I looked at him, rolled my eyes and smiled.

"What's that?" I said.



  To add insult to injury the squirrel arrived the next day.

And yes, we have been talking about planting a couple of dogwoods in their place.  It will be a while as there are other projects higher on our priority list.

We have removed bird feeders as we will be getting the deck repaired, boards replaced, painted and sealed.  I probably won't fill the feeders until the colder months.  Thankfully there is plenty of food in the natural world.   

We also keep hearing of a young bear raiding and taking down feeders not so far away, and the wildlife people have asked that none of us put any birdseed out, to encourage that bear to move on and find its territory in a less developed area.  I look out last thing at night and half expect to see the face of this bear staring back at me, with as disgusted a look on its face as I saw on the woodpecker, and yes I am joking?

All smiles aside, I am thankful we, our neighbors included, are a lot safer because of the removal of those trees.

And we will replant so stay tuned little birdies and squirrels, and please go find your beautiful human-free forest little bear!  I'm thinking you are going to have to travel a long way.


Thanks for looking and enjoy your day!






32 comments:

  1. That was a huge tree! I know how you feel; we had to take our enormous maple tree down that grew in the middle of our front yard. Gosh, I hope the woodpeckers don't ruin parts of your deck! There was a huge dead tree across the street, similar to this one. The owner had been warned about it. And the other day it fell, narrowly missing two houses and several cars.

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    1. Thank you Ginny and it certainly was :) I remember the post on your tree. By that time we had already taken these down and I shared your photos with Gregg. We were happy to hear no one was hurt.

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  2. I am sorry that you had to lose your old friends - but glad that you will replant.

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    1. Thank you Sue :) I hope we will be able to replace them, and we will but it could take a while.

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  3. Its a shame some trees have to be chopped down but for safety sake it sometimes has to be done. .

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    1. I agree, such a shame but safety comes first as you mentioned :)

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    1. Obrigado, é muito triste. Um abraço e uma boa semana contínua.

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  5. Hello Denise,
    I love the trees too and I do not like seeing them come down. But, some times for safety reasons it is best to have them taken down. They grow so tall, taller than the houses and can be scary. Take care, have a happy day!

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    1. Hello Eileen, that is one of the many things we have in common :) You take care and have a happy day also.

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  6. That was a huge tree. We don’t have any trees on our property. Surrounding our property, though, are lots and lots of trees. Over the past couple years several trees have been removed, either via tornado or purposely. There are others that concern us. It will be only a matter of time before more trees come down. I hope these trees come down purposely.

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    1. Hi Linda :) that's very interesting. Trees coming down during tornadoes and hurricanes is very scary.

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  7. What a great post Denise! I'm so sorry you lost your trees, it's always sad when that happens - but better safe than sorry. I can imagine the critters really are confused! Looking forward to you replanting and watching your new trees grow. :)

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    1. Thank you Martha, and yes, better safe than sorry. When we replant I will be sure to take lots of photos :)

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  8. So very sad to have to cut down trees but we had to do the same here with a large cedar tree that suddenly died. I am sure the insects, birds and creatures who lived in it had the same problem as your little fellows. I am glad to say we had an acer planted nearby and with the disappearance of the cedar it has grown huge. It now gets more sun and is in fact a prettier tree. Keep safe and take care Diane

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    1. Thank you Diane, I was just thinking we could finally put in some full-sun plants and flowers :) You keep safe and take care too.

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  9. Hello Denise - so glad that you can relax knowing the tree won't fall and injury anything or anybody. It was quite a job to remove, your woodpeckers response is classic.
    Have a lovely week
    Wren x

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    1. Already feel better that the safety issue has been taken care of Wren, thank you. Those woodpeckers always make me smile, even without the imaginary conversations that I project onto them :)

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  10. It is sad to lose tree shade but when they pose so many other threats and they are dying it's time to go. Loved your conversations with the birds and squirrel! :)

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    1. Thank you Ellen, it certainly is and I often talk to them ;)

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  11. Good for you. Much harm is done by feeding birds in summer. You've done well to be safe.

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    1. Thanks Jenn, I also now know of the disease that is killing a lot of our East Coast birds. I hope that can be contained quickly. No bird baths, no feeders for a good long time, at least until we get the all clear for our feathered friends.

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    1. It certainly is Christine, I absolutely did not want to get those trees felled, but could not stand the thought of someone getting injured and so there was no contest.

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  13. I understand the pain of having trees removed as we have done over the years! You are smart to protect your home as hard as it is to lose your momuments. It's amazing what these arborist can accomplish! Dogwoods will be a beautiful replacement.

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    1. Thank you Martha Ellen, and it certainly is amazing what these arborists can do. I was so impressed and also very grateful for their skill. I am looking forward to the dogwoods. I love seeing them in this area during springtime :)

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  14. I feel for you Denise! Where I live, we had to take down several large trees, over the years. We are happy we did it now, but it was so hard too. Our neighbours, like yours, were very happy! Our "animals" and "birds" are all back! But, they did the same as yours! LOL! We left some of the trucks tall and the squirrels would run up and miss there footing, thinking they could go way up! LOL! They didn't realize, there wasn't a tree anymore!! The arborists we have are amazing too! Big Hugs!

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    1. That's good to hear MLC :) Yes it is always hard but I am looking forward to planting those dogwoods when we can. That's sweet about the squirrels.

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