Friday, February 27, 2009

Not to Put Too Fine a Point on It

Some people cut a little brush and others cut a lot of deadfall. The tree trimmers came today. We did NOT cut any live trees, only the dead ones that were in the path of the deer fence and that were too large for us to deal with. At $300 an hour we think this is a bargain as the largest logs could not be cut by any chain saw that we own. The photos were taken through the screened window upstairs and like most of my photos can be clicked on for a high resolution. (It took only 2 hours to remove a ton of stuff!)

They shred most of the small limbs into mulch that goes into the ravine and will be good for the rest of the trees and plants and bugs growing down that way. We have removed some food for the woodpeckers, but we have dozens of other trees that are dead or dying.

The work is dangerous and watching them do this gives me tremendous respect for the skills needed in this job. The large logs they are able to cut so that they fit almost exactly as they drop them not too gently into the back of their big truck. This is all done by eye.

It is interesting to see the different colors of the shredded material that comes out of the chipper. Some is rich and red, and other brown. We did not try to save this as mulch because there is so much poison ivy vine mixed in with it. We also sacrificed some of our future firewood because we did not want to interfere with their progress by trying to pick and choose. Everytime you talk to these guys it is money! ;-)

If my dad were still alive he would love watching this. He had worked hard all his life and had a deep appreciation for work that was completed by hand and machine. I miss the guy on days like this.

Now I must go outside and measure the edge of the final flower bed to see how much more landscape brick I have to save for. I need it this month...but probably won't be able to add it to the spring's expenses.

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:58 AM

    We have a big evergreen tree to take down this spring. It has blocked the house of sunlight. We took one down last year with the help of our neighbor and one the year before. I'm amazed at how big these trees have gotten in the 18 years we've lived here and how unplanned their placement was.

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  2. It is a dangerous and costly part of country life. The rewards make it all worth while.

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  3. Looks familar. I have someone coming in a few days with a grinder to take care of a dozen stumps. Your place will look like a park.

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  4. I loved the photo sequence...I also love watching work more than doing it. And your writing is fine just as it is. I learn from it as well.

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  5. I need to have a tree taken down and some trimmed. I have no idea what they charge around here.

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  6. We have similar work that needs doing, but there is "always a better way to spend that money" until it is necessary.

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  7. Kind of makes you really appreciate the people who often get overlooked, but whose skills are essential to us.

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Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.