I'm posting these pics because I remember these getting planted in 1965 when my Mother planted them. Sadly, I had to take the one maple down and the other one is coming down next weekend. They are rotting from the inside out and I don't need anyone getting hurt from falling limbs. I tryed to pollard them back a couple years ago and it didn't do much. Sadly, we lost them but they lived a good 52 years. I only got about 1/3 of the tree to harvest, most of the top was completey rotten.
Q; When's the best time to plant a tree? A; 52 years ago. Q; When's the second best time to plant a tree? A; Today.
And now you get to plant trees for others to watch and eventually get to take down. Just another cycle of life. Pick out some that are long lived and not infested with bugs.
Well it is sad but you salvaging the wood for burning is probably the next best thing to do. If anything, cut a cookie out of the thick trunk, clear coat it and hang it up. At least the memory would be saved.
It is sad WeldrDave, but as stated above, it's the constant cycle. I know with the other weight on your shoulders right now, the memory of your mom planting these maples + having to take them down is tough, no doubt. Pullin for ya bud.
Did the same thing 3 summers ago. One giant Silver M. in dads back yard. He planted it when I was a little guy 1970. It got huge, overhung the house and garage. Threatened to crunch both structures. Had to come down. Was tough to do.
That is always sad to cut a tree you or your parents planted. We went through the same thing a few years back when we cut off a bunch of pines. Father-in-law planted some of them and wife and I planted some. It was sad watching them go but it had to happen because of so many dieing.
My baby daughter planted this one when it was just a foot long stick. Now she is 40 and the tree has been gone about 5 years. House insurance was threatening to cancel unless I had that "hazard" tree removed. B4 After I have since cut that sump down to about 18 inches tall and use it as a solid base for spitting.
That is a shame about the insurance and about your silver maple. After we closed on our house the insurance made us take down a tree behind the house before they would cover us. AFTER WE CLOSED. What a nervous day that was.
That was a green ash so by now I might have removed it anyway. The tree had branches 6 inches in diameter hanging over the roof of my house and hanging over the neighbor's garage so I can understand their concern even before EAB became so common. There were a few squirrels that got evicted in the process though.
That is sad, Dave, but I'm sure you have good memories that can never be cut down. We had a pear tree in our yard that was over 100 years old. My grandfather's picture was taken in front of it and he passed in 1937. That tree was there for three generations of our family. It finally got old and weak and died in the late 1980s and had to come down. I've always been sorry we didn't keep any seeds from the fruit of that tree and try to start other ones for the family members. It had the oddest pears I've ever seen. The skin was like sharkskin all tough and thick. When ripe they were tasty. I remember my dad saying they were called winter pears. Still never saw another pear like it.
Well, the other one came down today. It was just as bad as the first one. They made it 52 years and we are not far from the beach and abuse from Nor-easters and Hurricanes. I've already ordered a new tree for their replacement, "thornless honey locast" . I've been told it's a great tree for this area and has deep roots. It will be a nice shade tree down the line I'm hoping and stop the blazing morning sun in the front window which faces due East! I said a prayer for these trees after they came down, Maybe the grace of our Lord will bless the next stage of coming life here.
WeldrDave, we have one in our front yard and I can tell you it is a good tree for filtered shade. Grass can be grown under it. The leaves are small and when they drop in the fall they shrivel up and you don't need to rake them. One pass with the mower and the leaves disintegrate. The only annoying thing is that branches and twigs do fall quite often in the winter with wind. Parts of the branches die off and pieces are found frequently on the ground. Other than that, it is a hearty tree. If the tap root hits water that tree will grow like no ones business. The tree trimmer guy thought our tree was 50-60 years old. We had it for only 28 years. It was about a 2" thick trunk and ten foot high when we planted it, and now it's about 50+feet. I know you can't replace the ones that fell, but now there will be new memories
Well put! And like any circle of life, it was their time. For every death there is a birth. Thanks for the kind words.
