I'm not sure how much I've said about the trees we inherited when we bought this property. There may be some redundancy from previous posts... don't sue me, you've been warned. LOL.
Background:
Most of the 'not in the hedge/fence lines' trees (translation: planted intentionally) were young when we moved here in 2008. There were (and still are) a line of redbud saplings along the east driveway and several trees that I could not identify along the west driveway, one in the front yard, one in the backyard and two down by the 'pond' by the road.
There was (and still is) a mature crabapple close to the road on the west driveway.
This page addresses the unknown trees. The hubby removed one early on that really annoyed me and, yes, even I can be annoyed by a tree that is in the wrong place. I still have to contend with the remains of that tree because we didn't think to rent a stump grinder... but I digress. He also took down the unknown tree in addition to a couple of redbuds that were along the pond/rain garden where we were planting the paw paws and other native trees/bushes/plants once the new plants no longer needed them as over story trees. And, yes, those trees have sprouted again and will have to be dealt with eventually.
Eventually, the plant ID apps became sophisticated enough to actually identify the unknown trees. They were all the same kind: Green Ash. In the meantime, I had taken several workshops/classes on pest management and learned about the dreaded Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). The nasty little beetle had not made it to Missouri yet in 2008, so I'm sure the previous owner was unaware that they had planted $$-bombs on the property. Once I learned that all those trees (ten in all) were Green Ash, I knew it was only a matter of time before the eggs of the EAB would come to the farm on someone's shoes; but I really hoped it wouldn't happen because I am an optimistic pessimist.
I think it was in 2019 that there began to be noticeable die-off in a few of the Green Ash trees. Each year, I would mark the dead limbs in the fall for removal and each year there were more limbs to remove. Last fall was the first time that the die-off looked like the pictures of EAB infested trees (which means not just a few but most of the crown and primary limbs). And to be overly honest, I kept putting off having a tree person come out to diagnose the problem because I was afraid they might accidently infest the trees in the process (since they visit sick trees and could carry the eggs in their grooves on the soles of their shoes).
Most of the time I’m happy to leave nature to its own devices and understand that dying trees are food to lots of critters so we don’t interfere. Unfortunately, most of the Green Ash trees were close to the house and could cause substantial damage as their limbs decayed and broke off. In an effort to be ‘better safe than sorry,’ I set aside a chunk of my inheritance to pay to have those trees removed when the time came.
Well, the time came much sooner than I anticipated. In the Fall of 2021, I ordered a batch of Shellbark Hickory seedlings to get started for when we needed to replace the Green Ash. They arrived in the Spring of 2022 and we planted them in an easily accessible place for when it comes time to transplant them. (I know there is a page about that, LOL.) I was really hoping it would be five years before we needed to worry about removing the Green Ash trees. Low and behold, this Spring they were clearly in distress, sprouting new limbs from the trunks in an effort to survive because only about one-quarter of each tree had leaves. (All except the tree to the south of the house which was still big and beautiful but had lost its first major limb, proof that it too had become infested.)
I started the process of finding getting quotes to do the job and, not a surprise, of the few businesses out this direction only one actually responded to me. LUCKILY, that business takes its work seriously. They provided documentation of their insurance and other such paperwork that any contractor should have when coming onto your property to do work for you.
We scheduled a visit so he could assess the trees and what the cost would be. Between that phone call and the actual visit, I came down with Covid (brought to me by my lovely hubby from an international business trip – yes he got it first). Luckily, I was not need me outside while we talked through which trees I needed removed.
**In case you are wondering, I had a horrible experience with Covid, not hospitalization horrible, but scary nonetheless. It took two 5-day cycles before I tested negative and a full six weeks before my lungs got back to anything close to normal. And this after being fully vaccinated and boosted. I am better now, thanks.**
Back to trees: It was clear that all the Green Ash trees were dying. No point only removing the ones closest to the house. Might as well do this in one lump sum expenditure (like ripping off the bandage fast). So the quote would be for all ten trees and include moving the brush to a place of our choosing on our acreage, moving the trunks and other wood that could be split for the wood stove to a location of our choosing on our acreage, grinding the stumps, and cleaning up the site (rake out the debris and scrape the gravel driveway). They would have chipped the brush and removed it but I have seen how the critters enjoy the brush pile and so we decided to put that in a low spot away from the house and where nature can ‘have at it.’ LOL. I also am (still) hoping that I can get with a local sawmill to turn the big logs into flooring or furniture or something useful other than to burn. More on that when it happens. Anyway, after a few back and forth emails to clarify the details, the price was in the ballpark of where I expected it would be. I won’t share the amount because each quote is specific to the job and the location. Payment was not due until everything was done.
Between the weather and other work, our turn finally came on June 13th. Below are just a few (cough cough) pictures of the guys working followed by the before and after pictures.
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I only provide the contact information for businesses that I recommend. I recommend Hill Tree Service (based in Oak Grove MO), 660-238-3811.
Nick (co-owner) was the person I dealt with from the get-go and he was the person who cut down the trees. He had an assistant (Brett) that worked very well with him. They communicated well with each other and were extremely efficient.
I was very impressed with their attention to their own safety and also protecting my property.
Nick used several methods to 'down' the trees, each appropriate to that trees location and surroundings so I've grouped images together by each method. (You don't have to go through pictures of every tree being removed.) |
Wedge Cut at the Base to Direct Where the Tree will Fall |
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I'm sure there is an industry name for this, but I haven't taken the time to look it up.
Nick is amazing at this (as he should be!)... he works out where he wants the tree to land and then cuts out the appropriate sized and located wedge to make that happen. |
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The tree in these first three images was BIG and it took multiple slices to get the wedge exactly the way Nick wanted it. |
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Once the removed section is perfect, Nick cuts into the other side of the tree and the entire tree falls (path of least resistance) where Nick wants it. |
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This next series shows the guys adding the brush moving TLBR2 machine to give the tree a little help.
Nick first does the wedge cut like described above.
Then the TLBR2 is positioned on the final cut side, angled in exactly the direction the tree is meant to fall.
The grasper is raised to the best leverage height before the entire machine moves forward and between the final cut and the pressure from the machine, the tree falls. |
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This is the second tree cut this way falling (much more impressive than the first one, IMHO).
You can't see in the photo, but just behind the trailer is one of my aroniaberry bush plantings (15 bushes). It was very important that the tree not impact my berry crop plants. And Nick succeeded! |
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The first two trees down the quick way because there is a big field there for them to fall into.
They started with these because Brett was able to work on 'dismembering' the 'carcasses' while Nick moved on to a different tree that required a different technique. |
Cutting the Brush and Transporting It to the Pile
Below are some images of Brett cutting the small branches, loading them into the trailer with the TLBR2 and/or using the small grasping machine to gather bunches to take to the brush pile in the pasture between the two stock ponds.
The coordination of Nick working on bringing down each tree and Brett working elsewhere with the previous tree(s) brush was very impressive. A great team and, from a technical point of view, great gear in their helmets so they could be in constant communication. I would see Brett suddenly stop what he was doing to bring a different chainsaw, can of fuel, bottle of water, or whatever Nick needed. |
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Above you see the hubby walking along behind the first load of the trailer to confirm the guys understood where it gets left.
At left you see the beginning of the pile. After two loads using the trailer, Brett found it easier to just run the small machine down to the pile with smaller batches. That ended up working very well for our purposes. The track that was created going down to the pile was the same as we use so there was not a problem with compacting that ground and the smaller machine weighs less than the truck trailer combo, so the impact was lessened as well.
The resulting pile was about twice the size of the image at left. Far smaller than I expected. Amazing how little space it takes on the ground as compared to the branches on the trees in the air. |
Using the Bucket and Crane |
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These images are pretty self-explanatory. I just want to point out a couple things.
Safety first was adhered to throughout the time Hill Tree Service was on our property.
The skill of knowing which branches/limbs to cut when was very clear and, dare I say, impressive. |
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Tight Spot with Many Potential Issues
This tree was taken down the second day. I had documented the previous day pretty thoroughly and was feeling a bit intrusive at this point so I didn't photograph it until he was ready to land the big trunk.
And while I did step outside and watch the progress from time to time, I realized that I was only making myself nervous because this location had so many things that could be damaged by the branches coming down. |
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Of course I need not have worried because Nick took great care to lay each branch exactly where he wanted it to land.
No structure, fence, etc. were harmed in any way.
The little bush at the base of this tree I knew was likely to be a casualty since it had been there for 10 years and I didn't know how to transplant it (surrounded by gravel and the tree trunk/roots). I told Nick I understood if he was not able to avoid it. In the end, he was able to remove the tree and leave MOST of the bush in place... even when he ground the stump and I call that amazing. (The bottom right image is of the remaining bush -- hard to see, I know.) |
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Ropes and Climbing Gear: Doing it 'Old School'
The tree inside the fenced front yard was not a candidate for either the 'cut and fall' or the 'crane and bucket' techniques. To get the leafy (and dead branches) down safely required the good old fashioned school of climbing gear and ropes. |
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First Nick laid out all his equipment, harness, ropes etc.
Then he climbed into the harness and checked all the straps and connectors, etc.
On went the cleats and all that was left was to check that his ropes were sound and in good repair before he headed up into the tree. |
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At left you see him testing a brand new rope (the really long one that is his secure tether).
He has a second heavy rope that he uses to attach to a close branch... I'm not knowledgeable enough to tell you anthing more than I saw him use it.
Just a few images of him working in the tree. First he climbed up to find the tallest, live trunk and that is where he tethered with the long rope. Then he lowered himself into the tree, removing obstacle branches as he did; before swinging to outer branches to start clearing the lower ones that he so expertly knows how to choose when and direct how it falls. |
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Rather than have a 'sea' of leaves/branches/orange-spot-where -Nick-is pictures, I chose just a few.
Above are the two final trunks after all the lower branches had been removed. The photo at left shows Nick having already cut the directing wedge and making the final cut to sever the trunk.
The photo above right is that trunk falling exactly where it was intended AND because he knew how big (long) it was, it did not take out any fence, tree, or other object in the yard. It fell almost straight down.
At right and below you see Nick going back down and cutting the remaining stubs of the big secondary trunks.
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The series of three images above is the final trunk that he has been tethered to. I thought he would have to climb up to release his rope, but I was wrong. He detached the end from his gear and pulled on the other side until the entire rope was free. Then, before he continued, he wound up that rope and secured himself just below where he would cut that trunk.
At right he is cutting the directing wedge.
Below you see the final cut (left image) and the falling trunk (right image). It landed on the previously cut branches and, once again, missed the bushes, garden beds, etc. as he knew it would. |
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And at left you see the downed tree (all but the big primary trunk) on the ground.
I didn't photograph Nick taking down this trunk since it was the same process (directed wedge technique) as several already pictured trees. |
Grinding the Stumps
Once all the brush, logs, etc. were moved to their designated locations on the farm, all that remained was to grind the stumps and clean up. It had taken 2-days to get the trees down and everything moved. Nick came back the third day on his own to finish up since the stump grinder and clean up only requires one person.
Each stump was ground down 3 to 5 inches below the soil line. Nick previously cut the remains of each stump as close to the ground as was safe to do so (leaving little slabs of wood with a flat side and a side where the wedge/final cut was made).
The first image at left shows a finished ground stump and the pile of chippings/soil it creates. The other three images show the equipment as he used it.
Once all the stumps were ground, Nick went back over the entire area with the smaller grasping machine to collect any missed pieces and put those into the trailer for a final trip to the brush pile.
When he was satisfied that he had removed anything that would cause my mower problems (my definition, LOL), he changed the grasper to a grading bucket and leveled the gravel driveway. He didn't do that on the grass/soil areas because it would strip what was there and the grasping maching pretty much smoothed any issues as he picked up remaining debris. (At least that is my impression of inspecting the site.) |
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The Before and After Images
From past experience, I realized it would be best to put the before and after photos next to each other. I didn't necessarily get the exact same location when taking one of each, but I think you'll get the overall idea of the differences.
First a few images of the resulting wood. |
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First you see Brett moving some of the logs with the TLBR2. I'm still amazed how much weight that thing could haul.
Then there are two close up images of the first two trees to show the wedge cut from a different perspective and the snap of the first tree and the clean break of the second. With the resulting 'tent' shape that remains on the stump before Nick cut it at ground level.
We counted the rings and were surprised to see the trees were about 20 years old and that the growth rings were quite wide in many years. |
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At left is the largest tree's stump where it was cut at ground level. It is aboug 5 inches deep and aboug 3 feet across at the widest point. I intend to make a coffee table out of this piece. I wonder if Nick Offerman wants to help me, LOL.
That piece has been moved so it is under cover and I will be treating the exposed sides with beeswax (we have plenty of that, LOL) to help keep it from splitting as it dries out. |
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At left is the pile of the primary trunks and the larger of the secondary trunks. The wood looks really good! Only one (the one on the right side) appears to have diseased heartwood. That is the tree that had a "Y" trunk that I was sure would split on it's own from the day we moved to the farm.
Below you see two angles of the entire saved wood. The hubby has already started using his chainsaw to turn the mid-size branches into smaller pieces so they dry nicely to be split for firewood.
I'm still looking for a sawmill and/or furniture makers who want to help turn that wood into useful items. |
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And now for the Before and After series: |
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| Above left is the brush pile we created doing tree maintenance around the farm that was intended to be chipped and used as mulch. As you can see it got pretty overgrown and I asked Nick to include moving it with the brush from the trees to the new location. At right you see the cleared spot with no grass because that is what happens when you leave brush piled up for several years. It will fill in eventually... we don't worry about what grows there, it gets mowed so whatever lives there will be short and diverse. |
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| The 'street appeal' certainly has changed in the images of the house from the driveway (the east driveway). I personally think it has a better look. |
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These four images are the west driveway from about midway looking both toward the barn and then toward the road. Quite a difference... and I think it is better aesthetically (even while I am sad they are gone). |
| I realized when I was preparing the images for the website that the 'before' picture of this spot had been divided into two 'after' images. My bad. LOL. |
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| The above images are taken from the porch looking to the north side of the house. Anyone else feeling a bit LESS claustrophobic? The hubby says I feel that way because I come from Nebraska and am used to wide open spaces. LOL. I do really love the trees along the fence lines though. |
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These images are of the back yard (to the south of the house). That Green Ash tree was the least effected but had begun to show stress and die-off. This was the hardest for me to see come down. You may notice there are no photos of that on the website. There is a reason for that: it just made me so sad. On the positive side, we can see the entire pasture beyond the yard and the birds seem to be VERY pleased for some reason. They still have the blackberries and raspberries to hide in/eat from and I can see more of them perching on the fence and the posts that mark where we plant new things.
Final Thoughts
Human beings are complicated. On the one hand I am ever so sad to have had to cut down living trees even though I know they were dying and there was nothing I could do to stop that. On the other hand, now that they are gone, I LIKE the way the area around the house and barn look. From an environmental aspect, we have already noticed how much warmer it is in the around the house even when nothing would be shading the house; so that is not about the shade but the 'breathing' of the trees that cooled the air in the immediate vicinity of the house. Yes, the shade is also gone and those hours when the sun hits the house when it used to be shaded have made a difference as well -- of course. And, as I've already mentioned, from a personal aspect: I feel more comfortable with more open space around the house.
It all boils down to: I'm sad they are gone but I'm also happy they are gone. Like I said: humans are complicated.
And what about the Shellbark Hickory tree seedlings that are waiting to be replanted in place of the Green Ash? Well, they WILL be replanted, but NOT in the places where the Green Ash were. I'm working on a second orchard location since the neighbor farmer keeps hiring crop dusters that don't respect the NO DRIFT rules of their business and keeps letting poisons drift onto the current orchard location. So, most of the Hickory seedlings will go to the new orchard. I'm thinking of putting one somewhere as a 'specimen' tree but haven't decided where that will be. Plus, several of the seedlings did not survive the drought last year, so fewer to move. |
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