Trees vs. Wind (a small photo essay)

17 years ago

Once upon a time, there was a lovely clump of maples at the side of the road. Out walking the dogs, I was sometimes a little edgy about the way it creaked in the wind, so I walked quickly under it. But I liked the way it looked.

A few months ago, a strong wind brought down the entwined trunks on the left. We shared them with a neighbor for firewood.

Last week, wind screamed and roared all day. When I went out to my mailbox, it sounded as though an 18-wheeler was racing to run me down. I watched a tree come down in the woods, and when I reluctantly set out for work, I got about a quarter-mile down the road before I had to turn back because of the huge tree jackknifed across the road, and the power line spread out on the ground like a 100-foot snake.

The remainder of the maple clump came downÃ¯Â¿Â½"not on the shed, as we had feared, but directly into the crotch of a tall ash tree. The force of the hit split the ash vertically in half. When my son happened upon it the next day, the ash was still standing, the maple caught in it. He cut a wedge into the base of the ash and brought it down. A simple description of a dangerous job.

Here's a picture of the split:

The next photo is supposed to give you an idea of the immense height of the ash. I'm not sure it succeeds.

Here's the remains of the maple:

Assuming I had the strength and knowledge to accomplish it, I would have considered felling the ash to be a full day's work. But Joe got busy immediately, slicing up the maple for firewood.

Again, I would have quit (at least temporarily) right there, drifting off to make a pot of soup (or take to my bed). But my son persevered, using a monster maul to split all the wood by hand. And now I have a lovely pile of firewood!

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Comments (15)

Mystical Manns
17 years ago
Wow!

Not only are you sooo fortunate that the tree came down when it did and not on your HEAD ... but another WOW! because that's a lotta work! I hope you made that pot of hot savory soup for your Son to enjoy when he came back inside.
alisande
Original Author
17 years ago
Nope, he went home to celebrate Valentine's Day with his GF.

Writing that sentence, I realize he actually did the work over two days: Felling the ash and cutting up the maple on Friday, and splitting it on Saturday. Still a lot of work, though. :-)
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lynn_d
17 years ago
We had a lot of trees lost at the lower end of our property over the last week or so. We thought we had done pretty good until we got hit with those winds last week, they were killers! I think we clocked steady winds of well over 50MPH with gusts up to 95!
lydia1959
17 years ago
I enjoyed your photo/essay!

Your son is quite the worker. My DH cuts down all the neighbors dead trees for them (brings the firewood home for us!).
deborah_ps
17 years ago
And the stone wall still stands!
You've got a fine boy helping his Momma like that :)
sjarz
17 years ago
Yes, Susan you've got a good kid there! Seems like an incredible amount of work, I agree. Great firewood to start you out next year, too.
Suzan J
cynic
17 years ago
Quite a guy. And thinking of his GF too. Nice looking pile of wood. Once it dries out it'll keep you nece and warm.
mcmann
17 years ago
Those old stone walls look familiar! It's always sad to see mature trees fall but thank heavens it didn't hit the shed. Did you lose power when the lines came down? You'll have to tell your son that the KTers are applauding his quick willingness to help out his Mom. Now aren't you glad that he put the fireproof hearth under your stove you so can enjoy that wood next year?
alisande
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes, my power was out for eight hours. And yes, I really appreciate that wood stove!

Thanks for your comments. I do have a good son, for sure. After chipping away at his bachelor's degree for quite a few years while he worked, he graduated in December. His major was IST, so naturally he's my #1 computer resource person, but he helps me with a lot of other stuff besides.
lilliepad
17 years ago
What a beautiful grain in that tree! I wish I had a slice of it,I would paint something on it.Notice the area on the right in the 5th picture? The grain looks like an Indian pot.That's the slice I want!LOL That would make a beautiful clock also.
alisande
Original Author
17 years ago
Ha! It does look like an Indian pot. I'm afraid the pot has been smashed, though . . . split into lengths of firewood. Next time, Lilliepad. :-)
okwriter
17 years ago
How nice of him. DH would have loved some of that wood for woodworking!
Linda Wayman
17 years ago
It's sad about the trees, but how wonderful for you that your ds came to the rescue. Kudos to him. I love your stone wall.

Linda
jannie
17 years ago
My beighbor had a tree in her front yard. First, her kids shot fireworks up into it and the leaves caught on fire, then it got hit by lightning, then it fell down in the winter. She finally got the remains cut down and ground by a stump-grinder. Talk about a bad luck tree!
caflowerluver
17 years ago
Good thing you weren't under it. We had 70-80 ft. eucalyptus along the edge of our property between us and the neighbors. The winter before last, one fell and just missed their solar panels. After that my DH cut them all down. Tall trees and high winds don't mix.
Clare

{{!gwi}}

Trees vs. Wind (a small photo essay)

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Mystical Manns

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Trees vs. Wind (a small photo essay)

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