Loss

Sixteen years ago we were attracted to this location because of the trees and densely packed forest on three sides.  Over the years, we have watched as the best parts of the trees have grown up so high and taken the privacy with them.  When we built this house, nine years ago, we had to remove several trees.  Again, a few summers ago, we lost more trees to wood-boring ants.  This year, we lose some more.

Along the front of our property we have enjoyed three old Sugar Maples.  We have enjoyed watching them leaf out in the spring, we have tapped them to get sap for sugaring, and we have raked their leaves each fall.  Next to them we planted an Elm tree from the seeds of an Elm that my mom sent us back when Patrick was a toddler.

Today we lost them all, and a Boxelder on the other side of the driveway.

One Maple was leaning, two were hollow and weak (we lost a significant branch from one earlier this spring), and the Elm developed Dutch Elm Disease.

These are the guys who will do the job, planning their attack.

Once the machinery was in place, the job didn't take very long.  That wood chipper makes quick work of even the largest branches.

This is all that remains of the Boxelder; dirt, sawdust, and wood chips.

While the guys were cutting the Maples, they hit a snag on one of the trunks.  Over the nail of my thumb and middle finger you can barely see what is thick, rigid wire.  It caught their chainsaw, but they managed to finish the cut.  The tree is badly rotted, but this metal wire is well encased in the tree trunk.

Like grave markers, the tree stumps remain as a reminder of what was.

 

By the end of the day all that was left was a pile of logs, which they will come back for later.

I'm uploading a couple of videos.  They should be available on YouTube shortly.