I am so sorry! I don’t know this particular tree, but I am very attached to some of mine. Storm was pretty bad here around 7PM. Guess I will see in the morning if something was damaged.

Oh, what a shame. I feel so badly for you.

I'm holding my breath for three 65 yr old cherry on this property. One serves the purpose much as your elm did. It's my office air conditioning. And always full of birds that I can watch from my desk. I was never much of a fan of ornamental cherry but I'm rather attached to this one and its shape - I have no idea what I'd replace it with. My friend and realtor mowed the lawn here as a child and he remembers ducking under that cherry when cutting the lawn.

Is there any part of the tree where you could save the wood, have something made from it?

Rhizo, I am so sorry. We did indeed have some rough weather around us today. I hope you can replant another or similar soon.

I’m sure you have heard other stories by now of other large trees coming down, and in at least 3 cases people have been killed in and around our area. The ground is so saturated by wet weather, many large ones were uprooted. DD who loves not far from downtown had a large section of her wood fence down and someone’s satellite dish is in her yard.

I am so sorry!

How sad. our trees are like old friends. Its so sad when one goes over. We had a huge windstorm, called a derecho, a few years ago. so many trees were uprooted and fell over. It was a sad sight.

What a shame. It will take a long time for another tree to grow that large.

I thank you so much for understanding my sadness; I am very emotional about it. Yes, we will replace it, once we clean up the debris and decide what to do.

When a tree like this disappears, it effects a whole ecosystem. I am so sorry for the insects, birds, and animals who would make the tree seem alive with activity all day long. The shade from the tree allowed us to put in a lovely garden devoted to shade-loving plants like azaleas, painted ferns, and gorgeous hostas that we could never have before. We also began to notice toads, skinks, anoles, others little creatures I associate with shadier ecosystems.

Yes, we will make use of parts of the main trunk and some of those big branches. Lacebark elms have beautiful bodies and beautiful skin. The smooth bark exfoliates in a pattern of tan, brown, and burgundy…..so striking in appearance.

We lost an important tree in the backyard, too. A beautiful Golden Atlas cedar, a stunning specimen and a major bird nesting and roosting tree was pushed over by the roots. Such a loss.

Your post makes me want to cry. I'm so sorry that a tree which was so loved and will be sorely missed was taken by the storm.

Cyn that is a beautiful poem. Thank you for posting it.

I feel so sad reading this. I have always found trees amazing by their strength and the home they provide for natures little creatures.

I have lost a few over my 74 yrs and cried over them as if they were family. They truly become part of your family, their loss is noticed, felt.

I was hoping the roots stayed in the ground with some of the trunk, thinking it might regrow.

The reality is that trees naturally would be growing in a woodland, not sitting alone. Groups of trees protect each other from winds. A tree alone is truly alone.

Jane

I am so sorry for the loss of your tree and all the life that depended on it.

I feel your pain. We lost a large maple tree last spring due to a storm. It shaded our west facing window also. I really miss it. Our front yard looks naked now. I'm replanting this spring, but I'll be dead and gone before it is in its full glory.

What a beautiful tribute to a beloved tree. I'm sorry for its loss. Sincere best wishes for good results when you plant another one.

I've never seen the lacebark variety. Such a beautiful tree.

So sorry about your tree. We planted a willow oak (Quercus phellos) in 2001 for the same reason. the front of our house face due west. It is huge now. and I would hate to lose it.

Five years ago we lost 4 trees in a storm much like you describe. Fortunately they were in our backyard and not close to the house. They just provided shade and privacy. I miss them and am amazed at newer neighborhoods where they are no trees. People do not know what they are missing.

I will appreciate my trees today in honor of yours.

Oh no for your tree! But thank goodness you and your home are safe after that!

I know you must feel so sad. I understand. Every time we have big winds I hold my breath for my old Elm down front and the maple out back. I had a tree company come and prune the dead limbs out and generally trim them up. They are big, so it cost $$$$. But I was so glad I did it. I suppose it's time to call the company again.

On a different note, I walked off the back porch this morning and noticed the cover on the air conditioner was gone. No where to be seen. We had high winds over night. Looked around the yard and beyond to the field, nothing. Then I went through the garage and to the paper box at the road. Here the cover was laying at the bottom of the privet hedge! It must have been swept up and over the garage!

Not quite the same but I do feel your pain, rhizo. I live surrounded by a natural greenbelt with many old and very tall trees. Branches break off in storms and come crashing down frequently but are typically restricted to the greenbelt itself. Last winter, a dead branch from an enormous Doug fir (branch a good 6" in diameter) smashed down on top of one of my containerized Japanese maples and split it in half. The divide extends about 10" down into the main trunk so the tree continues to live although seriously damaged and now prone to other damage from insects or disease. But I haven't brought myself to get rid of it yet.

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7 , I suspect we live in the same city in North Alabama. At least we weren't out side picking up the like the man who died on Hillwood. I did catch my husband standing under the edge of the garage during the worst of the lightning, which faces due west. We will not say what I think of his intelligence, lol. He was looking for the tornado rotation from Decatur.

As an ultimate tree lover who even married a forester, I grieve for you. My 184-year-old house is surrounded by trees, literally. A huge Atlas cedar and a large maple tree actually touch at the third story of our old house. My 1/2 acre is a woodland in the middle of a town. My trees are my children and I am so sorry for your loss and the animals and birds who called it home too. It's so final and it takes so long to get one that size. On the side of our carriage house, there are evergreens that former owners planted when they were tiny Xmas trees in the 60s. They are so tall now, way over the roof of the carriage house. I just hate it when people chop down a beautiful healthy tree because they don't want to rake. I'm so sorry for your loss and hope you plant something else you'll love.

So sorry about your tree, rhizo. We lost a tree next to our driveway, but it needed to come down anyway. The wind was blowing so hard and was so loud, I didn't hear it fall. Another large tree on the property behind us fell, too. We have several large trees around our house and I'm very thankful none of them fell.

A sad occurence indeed. All those years of life and growth gone in a moment ☹️

In nature, even dead trees support life. It's nice to see you plan on making some use of the wood. Perhaps there's an undisturbed area where you can lay the remains to naturally decompose?

Here, it's oaks that many species rely on. We have a live oak in front that I planted way too close to the driveway 35 years ago, and it also provides a lot of shade and supports many living things - esp. blue jays.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your tree. I went through a similar loss a few months ago and, on some level, I am still grieving my tree. That Maya Angelou poem sums up my feelings.

A tragedy! I'm so sorry you've lost your friendly tree.

My town is a designated Tree City. It's lost many of the stately elms that used to line the streets, but one remains on our property, a 100-year-old American Elm that we treat against disease alternate years. (What's $800 'insurance' against losing such a treasure?)

Sherry -- Glad your DH was unharmed. We rented in an apartment complex while our present house was under construction. We weew seeing a tordano watch on our TV one afternoon while we watched a neighbor on his roof, adjusting his dish antenna. Uh-huh. Why not?

You are all so very kind! I knew that there would be true kindred spirits here. For many, trees are like our ’spirit animals’, so to speak. They are symbolic of life, hope, strength, and everlasting love. Did you know that, in this country, more trees were planted after 9/11 than any other time in history? Trees are planted in honor of a life well lived, of a life lost, to honor a beloved pet, or an anniversary.

In my world, tree experts are treated with honor…..well-educated arborists like beloved musicians, as they are few and far between.

Sigh…..our tree is gone now, partly in piles at the road and the rest in the backyard.

That is so sad. I hate it when we lose a significant one. Like losing a friend

That sounds like a pretty rough storm! Sorry for the loss of your elm tree. Most elms were lost years ago around here from Dutch elm disease but the morel hunting during that time period was the best ever. Morels seem to have a symbiotic relationship with elms and when the trees start to die it triggers the morel mycelium to go into fruiting. Keep an eye out for morels growing around the stump in the next few years.

I wish I could give you one of the 500 or so mature trees on my property to replace your elm!

Thanks for your offer, LoneJack, I appreciate the thought. This was a stand alone front yard tree, surrounded by turfgrass outside of the layer of mulch. No self respecting morel would be found anywhere near, darn it.

This tree was a Lacebark Elm, not the highly problematic American Elm. Lacebarks are very resistant to DED and about half the mature size of their American cousins. The ”Allee” cultivar makes an excellent specimen for homeowners and others who need some shade and screening and appreciate a gorgeous tree body when they see it.