I love trees—the shade trees in the park, the tall, narrow trees that line the streets downtown, the ginkgo in a pot on my patio, the evergreens covering the nearby hills and climbing the distant mountains, the rows of poplars providing wind breaks in the fields.
But when you live on the west side of Washington State, although we love our trees, we have so many of them that there’s a tendency to take them for granted.
So when my late husband and I determined that several Douglas firs were dangerous (too tall, too close to our house), we didn’t think twice about hiring some loggers to cut them down.
Our yard wasn’t nearly as wide as the trees were tall, so the loggers couldn’t simply saw through the trunk of a tree and yell “timber.” Instead, one man climbed up the tree, cut off the limbs one at a time, and lowered them down to his partners.
Following their directions, we stayed inside. But it was summer, and with the window open a crack, the fragrance of the freshly cut branches came rushing in. Within minutes, the whole room smelled like a Christmas tree. That’s when the project, which in the abstract had seemed simply practical, began to take on more meaning.
I stood at the window and watched as the logger climbed higher and higher, sawing off more limbs and dropping them down to his partners who cut the branches into more manageable pieces.
Before long, the gorgeous tree (that until then I’d failed to appreciate) was nothing more than an ugly, knobby pole.
Now it was time to get rid of the trunk.
Leaning back in his harness, the logger swung his chainsaw over his head and cut through the trunk. Thunk. A section of the trunk hit the ground.
I’m no tree whisperer, but as chunk after chunk hit the ground, I could have sworn I heard the tree crying.
That day, the loggers cut down three tall trees. And although I hated to see them go, I could only admire the skill and bravery of the men who did the deed. (Logging, with 127.8 deaths each year per 100,000 workers is the most dangerous job in the United States. And yet, the average annual salary is only $34,600. To see loggers at work, watch Ax Men on the History channel.)
I live in a different neighborhood now. And here, too, some of the trees are getting too big or too old. A few may pose a danger in a windstorm. The roots of others threaten to uproot sidewalks and crack foundations.
My neighbors and I love our trees. But when a tree has to be cut down, we’ll step aside. And even though you may not hear the tree cry, I suspect you’ll see a tear in my eye.
Living in a tropical country, which is visited by Mason storms twice a year, I have seen coconut trees falling down on houses. I have also seen trees laying near the roadside, after being struck down by lightning during the storm.
As sad as cutting down a tree is, sometimes we cannot avoid doing it for our own safety. 🙂
By the way, Nicki, I have not seen such logging process. Thank you for taking photos and posting them. 😀
Coconut trees have shallow roots, so that makes them a hazard. Douglas firs have heavy, somewhat brittle branches.
I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. I was glad I found them. Most of the time we don’t have a front-row seat to watch a logging operation.
After reading this:
Following their directions, we stayed inside. But it was summer, and with the window open a crack, the fragrance of the freshly cut branches came rushing in. Within minutes, the whole room smelled like a Christmas tree. That’s when the project, which in the abstract had seemed simply practical, began to take on more meaning.
I thought you were going to say that you started a Christmas wreath business with the branches. 😀
I almost cried when you said you thought you heard the tree crying. Who knows? Maybe you did.
We have a neighborhood Christmas party coming up, and since we have lots of evergreens on the grounds, I’m planning on cutting a few boughs for the table decorations. The cedars have low hanging branches. I think they’ll look good with some red and white carnations.
Perfect winter tablescape!
I love the Ginko tree. In the German city of Weimar you can encounter a very old Ginko tree under which already Goethe and Schiller were getting inspiration for their work!
I always hate to cut down trees or watch it even when it is necessary. In our cottage in Finland my father still finds each year some trees to cut down but at least he is planting every few years several new ones 🙂
I don’t know if you noticed, but in the 5th picture from the top, there’s also a gingko tree. It’s quite a bit larger than the one I have now in a pot.
The ginkgo tree has been around for so long that some people call it a “living fossil.” There’s a ginkgo tree in China that is said to be 3,500 years old. Isn’t it interesting to think of trees under which Goethe and Schiller used to sit!
I have been always fascinated by trees. Many years ago I tried my luck of growing those American mammoth trees (don’t know their English name) in Finland however the climate was just too cold for them 🙁
I already knew I liked you, NIcki, and this post just seals the deal. Trees. Yes, honestly, I think that’s what made me fall in love with this old house (money pit) that we live in. The grand old oaks and ancient dogwoods were just completely entrancing to me. We had to take an old oak down several years ago. The tree guys iaround here are a scary bunch, I’ll tell you, and just a bit crazy. But they took that giant oak down without a hitch and then offered us a drink of moonshine. Not kidding.
How nice of you to say that! I like you, too, Barbara.
Moonshine! Wow! You said “offered” only, so I take it that means you told them, “no thank you.”
I’m used to thinking about loggers cutting down the tall, straight kinds of trees we have around here. A giant oak must be a whole different kind of challenge.
Wouldn’t it be interesting to remember all the trees we’ve loved? Here are a few of my favorites: my grandma’s apple trees, the maple trees that lifted the sidewalk near the Catholic church, the huge plumeria trees in my daughters’ nursery school in the Philippines, and the giant false rubber tree at the edge of our property in Vanuatu.
Oh, Nicki! I know exactly how you feel. We recently had to cut down our guava tree that had been growing in our backyard and kept reaching out and covering the road. My husband planted some guava seeds when we moved into our house 5 years ago and the tree kept growing and growing and it became too big (however, not nearly as big as the trees that you had cut down). I hated to throw it away as my husband had put so much time and energy into watering it daily and trimming it, so we looked for an alternative use for it. We took off all the leaves, trimmed the branches, let it dry, and we kept the bare bones as a decorative piece for our sunroom. We actually decorated it last night with Christmas lights and some small ornaments – it is so beautiful! I will post a picture of it on my blog during the month of December.
It is sad when you lose a tree after nursing it along. When we lived in Vanuatu, we tried to grow a pomegranate tree. Just when it started bearing fruit, we moved. I wonder how it is now.
I’ll be looking out next month for photos of your guava tree.
I published the post before Christmas about the guava tree – here is the link if you would like to check it out.
http://foreignsanctuary.com/2014/12/23/once-guava-tree-then-decorative-piece-now-christmas-tree-the-tree-that-keeps-on-giving/
Love your last sentence. I fully agree that sometimes a tree has to go, but I can’t help missing it too. Lovely tribute to a dangerous job, too, Nicki.
My dad was a logger when he was very young. He ran away from home when he was fifteen, and I think logging was one of his first jobs.
Wow, what a difficult job that would be. No one ever likes to see a tree taken down, but you did the right thing, Nicki. When your safety and your home is at risk, it must be addressed,
My daughter and son-in-law had a big tree taken down after a section broke off during a wind storm and knocked a hole in their roof. They saved the trunk up to about ten feet and built a very nice tree house for my grandson on it. Now their roof is safe and my grandson has a place to play with his friends.
Great idea!
Neat blog Nicki – I loved the photos.
Thanks, Maureen. I found the photos in a box. I’m glad I had a visual record of the event.