Through the woods gate and to the right, this oak tree stood tall and proud for many decades. Its massive branches entwined with those of a nearby hemlock as its sturdy trunk arched over the fence toward the pool in search of the brightest light. Laying on rafts, we’d admire its dense foliage shimmering against a brilliant blue sky in hot summer sunshine while birds hid from heat on its cool shaded branches.
The thing is, the largest branch put the shallow end of the pool in cool shade, too. We planned to just remove the troublesome branch, but the severely arching trunk called for the whole tree to go. A crew of guys with pulleys and chainsaws and no fear of heights turned the tree into a pile of logs surprisingly quick. Soon, we’ll split the logs with a rented log splitter and stack the firewood along the fence to dry for a year before it ends up in cozy campfires, bittersweet memories going up in smoke.
The decision to have one of our big old trees taken down is not made lightly.
