We killed three millennials.
But like most millennials, at least one of them was rotten to the core.
It all happened so quickly. One moment they were standing there, the next they were on the ground, cut limb by limb, chopped into little pieces, their insides spilling out onto the grass.
Of course, I am talking about the three birch trees we had removed.
If I counted correctly, they were around thirty years of age, but as you will see from some of the shots later on, they were no longer in their prime. They lined the driveway and it looks a bit empty, but not too bad considering. The lumberjack friend said there is about 2.5 cubic meters of wood from them, and we will have a chopping session on the weekend with the neighbors helping - and we will provide a barbecue.
We will also borrow a hydraulic splitter, so I will take some pictures of that too.
After they were cut, I was surprised to see how much water was coming out of the stump. They were wet. Though, I shouldn't have been surprised, because up in the tree where the rot had set in, it was wet there too. The worst of the trees was the one that overhangs where we park the car, and while I had trimmed all the branches I could reach with the long extension pole and ladder, every storm, more branches would fall.
It was just a matter of time.
And depending which way it would fall, it would either hit our house, or the neighbors house, so it had to go. The others were in better condition, however they weren't great either. I think it is because the ground in this part of the yard is sopping wet half the year, which is the other reason we had to take the trees out, as we are going to try and put in the proper drainage it needs to move the water from the spring thaw and the autumn downpours away.
Not looking great. And this was a piece that was in the process of rotting. There are other pieces where the core is just gone, or you can dig it out with a finger. We didn't take the stumps out yet, but if and when we do, they will either be ground down with a big machine, or torn out with an earth mover, depending on what we are doing to the yard. That can be done later though.
It was a bit sad to have to "put down" the trees, because it is killing something. However in this case, it might have been an act of mercy, and now there is space for us to grow something else in their place.
They died, so others may live.
As said, we are going to cut the wood from the big chunks into fireplace-ready pieces with a machine, but the crowns of the trees with all the leaves and branches were taken away.
Not before the neighbors came to pick over the bones.
They are in their eighties and we will borrow the splitter from them instead of bringing one from another friend. The "payment" they wanted was to steal some of the small branches to make a "vihta", which is a bundle of young birch branches tied together, that is used to whip each other in a sauna.
Vihta
bath broom, a kind of whip made of birch twigs and used in the sauna to enhance the effect of heat by beating oneself with it.
And since these trees weren't the healthiest, their crowns didn't have a huge amount of branches on them, but there were still plenty of offcuts.
But when you have the right tool for the job, cleanup is easy!
The lumberjack sent his "fixer" to take away bodies and it was literally three minutes from when he pulled up to the side of the road where the branches had been piled, to when he drove away with them all in the back.
It took two scoops.
Gotta say,
the Finns know how to do their forestry work.
And now the rest is up to us, where we have a cleanish garage ready to pile some of the cut wood up so it can dry, and the rest will go to the neighbors for their help.
Before the lumberjack (friend) started, I asked if I should call the insurance company, and he just laughed. The only thing that he had to not hit other than the house, was our young cherry tree, which is in bloom at the moment, as is the pear tree, and the apple tree is a day away. It all looks very pretty, but I wonder if they will feel the hole left where the birches were.
He didn't hit the cherry tree.
Though, we did take down a small maple that was also falling apart, and a horrible looking hedge-type plant, that I have wanted to remove for four years. We have a lot of work to do to make the yard look pretty, but at least, it is starting now - only a few more years to go!
All up, from kill to cleanup, it took about two hours, which is probably a fraction of how long it is going to take to cut the wood on the weekend. But hey, the weather should be warm, and the grill will be hot - so bring it on.
Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.
Am I enlightened yet?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]