Thursday 23 October 2014

Branch Out Of the Oak Tree

With some heavy winds at the weekend one of our oak trees suffered the loss of one of its limbs.
 Typically this is the only tree that we've done some major work on trying to preserve, but the damage isn't too great. It amazes me when what seems like a small branch falls out of a large tree like this, the branch is as big as medium tree! Huge amounts of wood are in these trees! I'll do a post on the nine large oaks we've got here at some point.
I'll have to get the chainsaw out next weekend and log the branch for some of next years firewood and then get my brother to climb up and tidy it all up a bit.
Anyone else having to do work to try to stop their old trees falling apart?

21 comments:

  1. we didnt suffer any real tree damage in the high winds, just the odd small branch I was surprised at that as we are on rock bed they dont have a deep root system, perhaps the wind was in the wrong direction.

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    1. We're deep clay here so the trees take a while to establish but then do really well.

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  2. I think some trees get old and become dangerous and its time to replace them with young trees. Yours looks a magnificent specimen and its been planted in the right place. A lot of trees aren't and some mortgage companies insist on a tree survey before lending money on an house these days.

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    1. Mine are far enough away from the house not to cause any trouble. Out of the nine of these huge oaks we've got there is one that needs loads of work doing to it as it's right next to the road and slowly dieing from the outside in.

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  3. That break looks familiar, I have one just like it.

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    1. We took a branch off this tree last year as we thought this was going to happen. Sometimes they get too big for their boots!

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  4. I had a huge old monster Oak fall over this Summer. The bottom of her trunk was easily as big around as a small car. She was hollow inside and had been home to all manner of critters over the years.

    Missouri has been suffering from a disease that has been killing a lot of oaks and many of them that are dying have also been in livestock pastures which cause them to become hollow inside too. The loggers around here typically won't bother with trees that have had cattle grazing around them. They say they are always hollow.

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    1. I've never heard that about them being hollow due to animals grazing. We got a massive one tahts hollow here. I keep meaning to climb up and have a look at some point. Think I could cut a door into it and male it a play house?

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  5. We are in the process of felling dead trees..hard work, but for free firewood ,I'm not complaining!
    Jane x

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    1. That's what this is really-free firewood falling out of the sky!

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  6. Chainsaws frighten me
    I once saw a patient in A&E with a glove on with no fingers

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    1. Nice! Although a lot of the tools I use can do that to you I guess!

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  7. Perhaps you could rive some nice short boards from the larger pieces.

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    1. There isn't a straight bit in it. Maybe I could make some pegs out of it though.

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  8. Some of our trees fell into the river last winter but we didn't have the time to retrieve them when the river level dropped so they will be taken away by the river during the coming winter. The retrieving of the wood from the river is something we shall be doing in future years though.

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    1. Must be tricky though. You need a big winch. When I've done coppicing with my brother by the river the winch is as key as the chainsaw as the bank is too steep to use another method to get them out.

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  9. I lose trees every year to wind storms. We get a big rain, the ground gets soaked, then the wind comes. Down go the trees. I don't know how many times I've had to cut my way out when the trail was blocked by downed trees. Firewood is not one of the things I will ever run out of.

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    1. I don't think these would come down anytime soon but there are some massive branches to be ripped off. I do love looking at the roots of trees that have been pusjed over, its amazing how much is underground.

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  10. Most people just don't appreciate how wonderful trees are, especially the Oak that can stand for 100's of years. I love them all.
    Briony
    x

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    1. I've no idea how old these are but some must be three hundred years old. Who ever plqnted them had great foresight as they qre spaced perfectly. I'll do some more pictures of them soon.

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  11. This one may have to wait till Christmas Kev!

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