Australian pine fell. What to do with it.

15 years ago

DH and I removed all the A.pines on our property when we purchased it much to our neighbor's dismay. This is the second one of their trees to fall across our fence and onto our property. The first one was not that big. But this is a monster. Luckily it was in the back of the property. It was still green which is strange since an old snag in their yard has been there forever.We looked at the base of the tree and it must have just rotted. There is a whole row of them and no one goes near them. They do not take care of their huge property and hardly ever mow so I don't think it got pushed.

They won't take responsibility, trust me. I do not think legally they have to. Its not that big a deal to start a neighborhood feud over, just fix the fence AGAIN and try to do something with this wood.

Anyway, Is the wood good for anything? I really have plenty of oak to burn for campfires. Any other ideas?

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Comments (12)

corar4gw
15 years ago
------ uh, cross cuts to make pavers?
annafl
15 years ago
Tanya, you probably know this already, but remember that the australian pine is allelopathic (has substances in it to prevent the growth of other plant species). I don't know if it is just the needles or if it's also the wood, but consider this in your plan. Normally, I would get someone to chip it up for compost or mulch, but obviously, it is not a good candidate for that. I like Cora's idea of making something structural with it. The root systems are usually pretty sculptural. Maybe that can be used as something ornamental. Maybe the stump can be used as a stand?

Anna
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The web is full of em, just do google searches under things like "beach erosion". I've owned a Gulf front house for 20 years and out of necessity have studied the problem for that whole time (I am also a civil engineer so have some technical background). I can tell you that beach erosion is a local problem, that is what happens to your beach is unique to your specific spot. The stuff on the internet is more general or about other locations and may or may not help you. It is a good way to get educated on the subject. The hands down best way to protect a house from beach erosion is a solid well engineered rock wall. But in Florida they are no longer allowed, except in certain circumstances, and for good reason, a rock wall in front of your house can increase erosion of your neighbors. Groins (call jetties in Florida) are very effective, but have been totally outlawed in Florida, for similar reasons, they can just displace the erosion down the beach. I am not so sure they should be totally banned, but they are. Beach re-nourishment is another option, but it is expensive and can only be done by a community over miles of beach, not something the individual homeowner can do. Vegetation can help, but there are limits as to how much. Sea oats are the standard, and sea oats do a good job of dune building. But I can tell you from personal experience they do not have a good root structure and wash away quickly in a hurricane storm surge. There is another beach grass, I don't know what it is called, it's about the same size as a sea oat but the seeds look different. It has a bit better root structure, but I have never seen them for sale, the ones on my beach just came up. I keep my beach from the house to the water very well fertilized, I use 10-10-10 fertilizer every month or two. As a result I have a lot more beach vegetation than my neighbors, and it does catch more wind blown sand. I just started doing this a few years ago so it is yet to be tested in a storm. And as I have said here I am cultivating an Australian pine hedge between my house and the Gulf as a barrier. I am sure all this will help, just not sure how much. Sand fences can help too. Problem is the real causes of beach erosion are in the water, currents and offshore sand sources and sinks, not what happens on the land. So all the vegetation and sand fencing in the world can't have a huge impact, it just slows the erosion a bit. Good luck, on the beach in Bay County is nice!
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Not quite sure what you mean by "chipped" as the glass is tempered and should have shattered. If you are that concerned, I would ask the contractor to replace the panel or verify that it is okay. The warranty may not necessarily cover this down the road should something happen after the contractor is gone. And depending on the integrity of the contractor, it may be difficult to get him to cover his mistake of not securing the door overnight after he has been paid. One man's opinion. Good luck!
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What type of privacy - eye level or taller? Put another way, are you looking for privacy from ground level or from the neighbor’s two story house or an apartment house that is several stories or just a sense of enclosure? What size and distance; for just a patio or a whole yard, and how much planting room do ypu have? Are you looking for shade or just privacy? Would you consider structures such as fencing or a pergola as part of the solution. or does it have to be only plants? You may find that annual or perennial vines planted for fast coverage along with slower growing shrubs and trees make more sense than fast growing woody plants that are often more prone to storm damage and have a shorter life span. The cliche that a picture is worth 1000 words applies. Can you take photos of the site, including some overviews and what you want privacy both for and from? And/or post your plot plan or a screen capture from Google satellite images? Without knowing more about the setting and goals, it is difficult to make suggestions that will solve the problem.
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goldenpond
Original Author
15 years ago
hmm the stump is still in their yard.
anna I did know that but forgot about the allepathic part, thanks for the reminder! Beneath the neighbor's forest of AP is a dark tunnel of nothing. That is where the bobcat sneaks around(maybe his own subway!)
Lots of needles will be left in its wake I could put them in a path through the woods.
corar,not sure what you mean by cross cut for pavers? You mean like stepping stones?
imatallun
15 years ago
Maybe totem poles?
goldenpond
Original Author
15 years ago
HAHA I just had this great thought of a totem pole on the lot line mooning my neighbor! LOL
Sorry,,,,not nice LOL
tclynx
15 years ago
I've heard A pine is pretty tough to cut and that it can be brittle (chip in nasty ways) making it difficult to carve.

I have also heard that it is really really good fire wood though.
JerryatTreeZoo
15 years ago
It is very hard wood and is good for cooking/fire wood. If you are going to cut it up, do it while it is still green because once it dries out it will just eat up chainsaw chains.

I think you can safely use the mulch on established trees and plants. You can use the logs to line beds or for rustic furniture. You could use parts to hang orchids and bromos in a huge "snag".

I have seen huge ones with 5' boles completely hollowed out by rot and termites so be on the lookout for them.
wanda662
15 years ago
Looks like you've got plenty of ideas, but I like yours the best, the totem pole!
corar4gw
15 years ago
Yes, like stepping stones, about 4inch thick 'slices'. A good chain saw should be able to do it. Probably hauling the slices to the final location would be the biggest/heavest job.
goldenpond
Original Author
15 years ago
and they will last?
tomncath
15 years ago
D**n things, I hate them too...nothing but trouble from the time they are planted. Interesting that they are actually okay to use for firewood, I always thought they were slow to burn and not very hot....
imatallun
15 years ago
Well if you decide to moon the neighbor with a totem pole, I vote for making it HAIRY. (Those boston ferns will grow anywhere.)

Maybe some acid loving plants may love the trimmings from that Pine. Brugs?

Good luck, Tanya, let us know what you decide to do.

Australian pine fell. What to do with it.

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corar4gw

annafl

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Australian pine fell. What to do with it.

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