It's 34 inches in diameter at chest height on the trunk, which is partly rotten, and soem of the large branches (like the one shown stuck in the ground from a previous storm break) are completely rotten. It's twice as high as the house, though some of the top has already come down on its own. It's easily capable of dropping lethal limbs into the street, the neighbor's yard, or onto the roof that has only its plastic skin on at the moment. A danger to neighbors, guests, roofers, the furniture people who will come on Thursday.
When we were younger, we might have (foolishly) tackled this job ourselves, but no one here can handle a big chain saw anymore, or has any business going up a ladder on a partly-rotten tree. The tree removal people brought four trucks, a crane, and a crew of experienced guys to take it down. Worth the cost. Glad we can afford to have it done.
We're very glad the tree guys rescheduled for today (though it's raining lightly) because there's a storm expected to produce high straight-line winds, up to 60 mph, tonight. This old tree used to shade the entire front yard and the front bedroom--valuable in summer--but it's a danger now and must go.
The tree crew at work:
You can see the cut ends of the larger branches and a bit of the white bucket where the man is cutting them off. The truck nearest is a chipper. Some of the branch cuts show healthy wood all through; others have a dark rotten core. Can't really tell from outside, which is why the tree needed to come down, not just be pruned.
All the top stuff off, trimming down the main trunk and branches
And then removing the cut limbs and trunk pieces with a clever little machine...
Notice the rotted out part in some limbs and this chunk of trunk. The lowest part of the trunk showed no rot at all.
It's hard not to stand around and watch the whole thing.
Next morning, after a windstorms and rain...
From this yesterday morning
