That Didn’t Last Long

A month or so ago I noticed we had our large oak (swinging) tree excavated over the winter. Several sizable holes were pecked or chewed into upper branches of the tree. Based on the visuals, it was obvious the tree would have to come down, but I was hoping to wait until my dock was pulled out later this fall. Then I could drop the tree with no fear of damaging anything.

Fast-forward to Saturday night/Sunday morning when we had wind and rain. I paddled Saturday night and all was well. When I checked the cabin on Sunday, the top of the tree was down and, worse yet, a large part of the tree was caught high in the crotch of the tree.

After work this afternoon I put my geometry skills to work to figure out how to drop the part of the tree that was caught in the crotch. Using tow straps, ratchet straps, and selective partial cutting I was able to bring all of the broken tree down and cut it up. Kristy helped with picking up sticks and log pieces and now we have an unexpected, more open view of the sky. That tree top certainly did not last long once the holes and splits appeared!