Removing Giant Trees at My Farm
Protecting homes and maintaining the landscape sometimes means cutting down trees.
I always feel badly when trees are cut down. Trees are important to our environment - they are the world’s single largest source of breathable oxygen. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and potentially harmful gasses, and they create an ecosystem to provide needed habitat and food for birds and other animals. However, occasionally trees need to be removed. Recently, I had several trees taken down from the shade garden near my Tenant House. The 125-foot trees were leaning dangerously close to the structure, so for safety reasons, I decided to remove six of them. The crews from SavATree and A-Quick Pick Crane Service, Inc. completed the project in three days - carefully cutting down each section of tree and then grinding the remaining stumps. Fortunately, the large logs can be repurposed for another project.
Here are some photos.
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- My longtime arborists at SavATree came with a crew to remove some of the branches from the six trees that needed to be removed – five Norway spruce and one white pine.
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- The crew also removed the copper cable systems that protect the trees from lightning. These cables extend from air terminals near the top of every major trunk down to 10-foot copper ground rods driven beyond the tree’s drip line.
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- It makes me very sad to see these 100-year old trees come down, but they are leaning very close to my Tenant House where my daughter and grandchildren stay when they visit.
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- Here, you can see the tree listing to one side – high winds could easily topple this great giant.
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- The crews were very careful to cover all the area stone work, including the pathways through the shade garden.
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- Because all the trees are so tall – at least 125-feet each – a crane was brought in from A-Quick Pick Crane Service in Derby, Connecticut.
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- The crews prepare the crane so it’s level on the ground and very secure.
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- Spray paint indicates where the cuts will be made along the entire lengths of the tree trunks.
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- These weights at the base of the crane counter-balance the weight carried by the boom.
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- Here is just some of the safety equipment that is worn by SavTree’s skilled arborists. They wear all the necessary gear – helmets, safety belts, and eye and ear protection.
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- Jorge from SavATree was carefully hoisted up the first tree. Each 16-foot long section of tree is cut by chainsaw. Jorge has been doing this for many years and is excellent at logging trees. Jorge secures the section to be cut and the crane holds it taut, so that it is lifted upwards as soon as it is completely separated from the rest of the tree.
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- The first section of the first tree is removed and carried by crane to the designated open area below.
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- Once the tree section nears the ground, crew members remove the strap. This piece will go straight into the chipper – the top of the tree is too narrow to make into usable wooden planks, so it will be chipped and used for ground cover.
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- Here is another section of tree on its way down. The crane keeps these logs a good distance from any structures or people – especially on this windy day.
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- And here’s the last section being lifted and carried to the carriage road nearby.
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- Jorge moves onto the next tree. Each tree takes a couple of hours to bring down. Every precaution is taken to do this safely and efficiently.
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- Crew members remain on the ground to guide the log as it is lowered.
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- Another crew member unstraps the log and sends it back to Jorge.
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- The logs are then taken to my back field where they will be milled into two-inch thick boards that will be used in a future building project – nothing is wasted.
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- Here is a drone shot of Jorge strapping the next section of tree before cutting it.
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- Three trees done – three more to go.
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- The top of another tree is completely severed and carried away.
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- The crane operator stays focused in his cab – communicating with the crews, so everything is done safely to plan.
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- And here is the last section of the last tree.
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- The entire area looks different, but also very nice – the views from the Tenant House will be wider and brighter.
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- Here is Fernando cleaning the area after the trees were removed. I have many bulbs planted here, but I will eventually plant different trees in this garden. The Tenant House windows look so pretty without the tall trees blocking them from view.
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- On another day the area is covered with tarps for the next phase – the stump grinding.
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- Here’s Mike from SavATree grinding down the remaining stumps. This machine uses a rotating cutting disk that grinds the wood into small chips.
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- This job doesn’t take long at all – the six stumps were completed in just a few hours. Once done, the chips are collected and used to cover various tree pits for the winter.
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- And look – some of the tree branches are already being put to good use – as ground covers in the garden beds surrounding my home. It was sad to see the trees go, but I am very glad everything can be reused here at the farm.
Martha Pins
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