Sunday 3 February 2013

Tree Karma

My brother is a tree surgeon and he often says about the state of his "tree karma". That is how many trees he cut down compared to how many he's planted or saved.
Mine pretty high as I've planted a lot more than I've cut down but sometimes trees have to go.
Ash growing in the wrong place
The Ash tree in the front garden was one that I marked to come out from the first time we looked at buying the house over 12 months ago. Although it's not massive it's growing too close to the house and it's under the power lines so unfortunately it's got to go.
Spot the Idiot
 Why this came about was today some of my family came to see our daughter, my dad being a typical Alviti couldn't just come and relax.
"Lets take that tree down" He said before even going inside for a coffee.
Not how most families spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon together!
I cut all the higher branches down by hand, up in the tree, as we worked out that the tree was going to be longer than the width of the garden. We only just worked this out as we were just going to fell it in one go (good job I'm more cautious than my father and made him work it out! - He has a friend who once got it out wrong and felled a massive tree straight onto his Daihatsu truck). Some of these high branches we tied a rope to and pulled them as I cut them to keep them from falling towards the power lines.
The king of firewood won't go to waste
The light faded fast so I ended up logging it by floodlight, but at least all I've got to do now is split and stack the wood. I might even use a bit of it for a weird carving I've been asked to do.
As for my tree karma I've got 25 trees to plant when/if it drys up so I'm not too worried!
How's everyones tree karma looking?

8 comments:

  1. Sadly Kev it seems that all our Ash tree's are in dire straits anyway. So your tree was going to die anyway. Good bloke your Dad.

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    1. Dad is a good man but he works to hard. We all seem to have an in built guilt where we can't sit down and do nothing! As for the Ash trees I hope it doesn't kill them all, there are some which are showing a resistance to it I think (I'm sure someone told me that).

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  2. We've had a few winter casualties...they'll be down in the spring unless woodpeckers have already moved in...which means at least they are leaving the house alone!
    Jane x

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    1. Woodpeckers on the house sounds annoying. It's been no where near cold enough to kill trees this year. Although they might drown it's that wet!

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  3. Does this include hedges - like the 20 foot variety ? Although I didn't kill them - just made them 3 foot hedge plants instead and threatened hubby with mayhem if he neglected them again! I might add that I used an old handsaw for this being rather under equipped for the job and I still have about half of the branches to reduce to firewood size yet.

    viv in nz

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    1. You kiwis love your big hedges (gotta stop the north easter wind or is it some other reason?). I took all the top branches down using a handsaw (although one for green wood like this) as I think I'd be down one leg if I tried to use the chainsaw up that ladder! some times it might be slower but it's a lot safer.

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  4. Our rectory is having all of its huge trees cut
    The work of the tree surgeons alway amazing and frighten me...how the do what they do...I will never know

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    1. I've worked with my brother sometimes (although I'm on the ground). It makes me cringe to see him up some rotten tree blowing in the wind. It never bothers him though and he always gets it to land where he wants it to. I like to think I've learnt a lot from him but I'm sure what I've done is wrong!

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