Close Calls

I’ve had my moments as a weekend lumberjack. Once I was on a ladder with the chainsaw (not recommended) cutting a large ( ten inch) branch. I made an undercut first, then a cut above and so the branch would fall away cleanly. It did fall away but the butt end struck the ladder rung below me. There was enough force to bend it. I watched from above, glad I was going to fall off the ladder with the running chainsaw.

Another time I was cutting a tree under some tension. one of the many bent over during the 2008 ice storm. My first cut was a bit too deep and the tree lurched over seizing the chainsaw bar. The saw was stuck and I felt like an idiot. I made a call to friend to come over with his chainsaw to take the tree completely down and free my saw. By the time we got back to tree, I was dismayed to see the tree had fallen crushing my chainsaw in the process. That was some expensive firewood.

The Garage – June 2020

I had a garage built in 2020. The best home improvement ever. However there were some trees to be removed. For this I called in the pros. They arrived with an enormous crane and a worker who didn’t mind being hoisted into the air with a chainsaw. I watched as the top of an oak tree levitated over my house to be deposited in the front yard. The standing tree didn’t look very imposing but when it was dropped in the front yard it dominated the landscape.

More Trees – October 2022

When you open a space in a wooded area, the surrounding trees branch out to the light. I almost immediately regretted not cutting more trees when the garage was built. Another oak tree managed to drop acorns on the metal roof giving it a dimpled appearance. I didn’t like the way it leaned over the garage. It was not a mighty oak, more of a lackluster oak. I also had a “widow maker” a large dead White Birch. It had a large dead branch that loomed over the driveway in front of the wood shed. I would back the car under it when leaving the house. I watched one day as another branch fell silently away from the tree to crash on the ground. No warning crack or sound. This was a job of the professionals.

Meanwhile in Smithville (down the road)

Wally’s Tree Service has plenty of work in New Ipswich. After they finished with my trees, a job that only lasted only about an hour, they were working down the street. This time they had a large crane, a skidder and a chipper. I watched in amazement at how much can be accomplished in a short time. Lets roll the videos.

Crane Work

Grind it Up

Advice

Leave the big jobs to the Professionals. They have the right tools to do it.