Demise of an Oak

Sorry to be so late in posting today. I’ve been waiting to share with you the work involved in dismantling an old oak tree. It’s a big job, and took some time.

Someone who knows more about forestry than I suggested this one to be at least 150 years old. It has served as home to many furry and feathered creatures throughout its lifetime. 

Fifty to sixty years ago, a neighborhood was constructed, shaded by its many branches. As the severity of storms in our area has increased, the owners decided the great oak should go at the time of their choosing, rather than Mother Nature’s. 

Late last week, the work commenced, and today, it is finished. 

Like a wide-eyed child, I watched with wonder as the young man skillfully tied ropes and wielded his chainsaw, dropping sections of the tree so carefully to the crew on the ground. 

I felt the thud a couple of  large chunks of trunk made as they hit the ground and rattled the windows.  

It’s hard to believe that a tiny acorn, possibly planted by a squirrel busily storing food for winter during the Civil War, could have been the beginning of its life.