Glad you damage is minimal. I've been worried about our apple trees--so big, and this year so laden with apples.

I feel sooooooo bad for our neighbor ;(

...and now it's a pouring thunder storm. Ack!

Mimipadv - I'm curious - is this something your insurance must cover or does the other homeowners insurance cover this? I've often wondered this.

I think it varies state to state, but our insurance is covering the tree removal and damage on our yard, and our neighbor's on hers.

The tree was alive, no wind. It was just the soaking rain that loosened it up just enough to tip over.

It is a beast.

We've called our tree guy (lots of trees on the property to manage) already and will have him do the whole tree on both properties.

He's really, really good, so I want the best to remove it.

The hole is like 5-6 feet deep. Branches rise almost 3 stories high with this beast on it's side.

Oh, your poor neighbor! Hopefully the insurance company will send an emergency team to cover the roof damage until the repairs can be made. I bet it scared them too!

My neighbor was sitting in back in her screened porch and actually saw it list, and she and her dog ran the heck out her front door!

My neighbor from way down the street heard and felt it.

That's a big tree. Glad no one was hurt.

Where's the root system?

I haven't gone down the hill to view the roots. Will do that first thing in the morning.

DH said there are 6-foot roots hanging off.

A decade of so ago we had a large tree fall during a hurricane, the tree had two large trunks that split apart and fell in opposite directions. One of the trunks fell onto our horse fence, breaking three fence boards. We contacted our homeowner's insurance agent about other damage and asked about the tree. We were told that because the tree caused property damage, the policy would cover repairing the damage and cover removal of the downed tree. If the tree hadn't hit the fence, they would have paid nothing. We got two different quotes for removing the tree, and they were both near $4500.

That's scary. Did you say what kind of tree it was? No one was hurt, only property damage which can be fixed.

I'm not sure what kind of tree it is, just that it's over 100 feet tall and really, really wide.

My neighbor had her insurance and a tree company out already, and we signed on with the tree removal company too.

A 90-ton crane will be here first thing in the morning. It's going to really be something to watch how they do this.

We had a dead tree removed not too long ago, and opted not to get a crane because of the cost. They are very, very expensive to use.

OMG! That tree is HUGE!!!!! So glad no one was hurt....sorry you have to go through all this tho. I'm always amazed at what mother nature presents us with. That picture tells a lot...old healthy tree...that ended it's days....

mimi, be sure to watch and remember to breathe - while keeping your distance.

We had a crane here too, those operators are artists in their own right. When the bulk of the tree was removed from the house, and the house was secure and clear of further damage, my insurance was done with the tree removal part.

But we have lots of friends in the timber industry and a second boom truck was brought in for the remainder of the tree and attached root ball. It's been 8 years and I will still introduce that friend as the closest to a knight on a white horse (him with his boom truck) that I will ever have. When I asked him what I needed to pay him, he said 'one blackberry pie'.

I'm so sorry for your troubled weekend and its brought back lots of memories this evening - most of them good. You'll be OK....

Thanks all for your support.

We learned the tree is a red oak. I'll post more pics using my good camera because the cell phone didn't do it justice.

I do hope the removal goes well, because they will be lifting massive pieces up and out.

Now I have something gnawing at me- we have a HUGE weeping oak right in front of our house in the yard. We've taken good care of it and have had it trimmed up and kept nice.

It's healthy for sure, but it's got to be another tree that's around 100' tall, and if it uprooted and fell, it would take out much of our home and maybe us!

DH and I are going to ask about how much it would cost to also remove it, while the tree company and major equipment is here.

It would make me so sad to take it down, but it's literally 15 feet from our front door.

I remember Hurricane Gloria that hit New York State/Long Island around 1985. We were living in our newly purchased home with a huge weeping willow tree in the back yard. At the height of the storm, we heard a crack/boom and our willow was tipped entirely over, leaning on our neighbors fence. Luckily, hubby's brother came with his chain saw, cut it up and took it away to burn in his fireplace. But the bend in the neighbors fence was there for years as a reminder.

morz8

mimi, be sure to watch and remember to breathe - while keeping your distance.

*******

I was mesmerized watching another 100' oak being taken last year. It suddenly died- went all dead leaves- and we quickly decided to remove it.

The cost of renting a crane was prohibitive, so the tree company took it out in pieces and just spread the pieces in the woods behind our house. They rigged up a pulley system and took out part of our fence to do it.

It was amazing to watch them calculate how to remove each huge section.

The most important thing to remember in regards to tree health is not the top but the roots and soil system. Trees find it a challenge to live long and prosper in our yards and neighborhoods, mostly due to the constant pressure on the root/soil system.

We plant lawns or other plants over the root system, build homes, driveways, and walks. Weed and feed products cause damage, and irrigation systems encourage an extremely shallow and shortened net work of roots.

Then, a long stretch of saturated soils kill the fine feeder roots and make it even harder for the tree to hold itself firmly in the ground.

Most people don't realize that it is the shallow, wide reaching fibrous network of feeder type roots that hold trees up, not a mythical tap root that grows straight down.

Trees lose their grip in soggy soil, it happens in a natural, undisturbed environment, too. But the situation is exacerbated when that tree is in our yard or along a city street.

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

The most important thing to remember in regards to tree health is not the top but the roots and soil system. Trees find it a challenge to live long and prosper in our yards and neighborhoods, mostly due to the constant pressure on the root/soil system.

*******

Our tree sat at the bottom of a hill in our yard, and the water obviously collected there and rotted the root system:

The tree company came in force and is taking down as much canopy as possible before the crane gets here:

Oh my goodness. So glad no one was hurt and sorry for the loss of your big tree. Speaking of insurance, once a tree fell on my SO's back porch roof and yes his homeowners insurance covered the damage and even the repair BUT - they canceled his insurance afterwards! He was shocked. According to him he was paid up, but I can't believe the company would do that.

We had a large tree right next to the house that was struck by lightning and died about a year later. We need to have a crane to remove the tree safely. It was fascinating to watch.

Before:

The "top guy" commuting to work.

The crane was in the front driveway, and was reaching right over the house.

A major tree removal is a fascinating thing to watch, isn't it? You wouldn't believe how well-trained those arborists have to be! Crane removal is much more common now, with smaller yards or no ability to access the site with a bucket truck.

It's even more remarkable, I think, to watch the take down of a huge tree with a trained arborist and a bucket truck.

bob_cville

It's brought out a whole bunch of our neighbors out to watch and people are asking if they can have pieces of the red oak for firewood and woodworking projects.

Lemons, lemonade, I guess ;-)

Done. The biggest, heaviest piece was the stump and root ball, which was........ 6800 lbs!

Our son is in the tree removal business and often times he has to hire a crane to help lift the upper part of the tree away after it is cut. Usually oak trees have a very deep tap root. We live in the woods and a few times have heard trees fall but don't usually see them. They are almost always in the creek bottom where it could be damp or some water standing.

Sue

At the end of the day, it was our retaining wall that prevented catastrophe, and prevented the full weight of the tree from falling on our neighbor's house. A huge bulk of weight was held.

See above.

Thanks everyone for your support and your stories. I hope this thread can help someone else someday!

We have to figure out how to fill the huge hole from the root ball.

Oh, and I have a nice slice of the chestnut oak that will become a cheese board.