At the end of my last post a week ago I mentioned that my attention had been drawn to the poor condition of the big, very old rowan tree half way up the back garden. Events somewhat took over the decision as during yet another spell of gale force winds on Saturday the tree was swaying quite dramatically. Not just the canopy but right down the trunk was moving and the ground on one side was visibly rising and falling as the root ball was loosening. I really thought the tree would not survive the night. There was nothing we could do and no buildings or people were in any danger. It managed to stay upright but on Monday the expert advice was to take it down asap.
Tree Surgeon at Work
The multi trunks and quite low branches meant it was easy for M to demolish the tree using ropes and a chain saw. Fortunately the weather was very kind and as the tree stood alone in quite a large open space it was a straightforward task.
Half of the top gone
I don’t have a hard hat so was not allowed anywhere near until all had been made safe, but it was fascinating to watch either from the house or up on the top road.
The tree looked amazing when all the branches were spread out on the grass. The photograph above does not do justice to the beautiful colours of the lichen which encased every branch and twig.
The Rotten Core
On closer inspection of the sawn up trunk it became clear that we had taken the right decision to cut down this tree. You can see above how much of the centre of the trunk was no longer viable. Sadly it was so rotten I couldn’t count the rings to see how old the rowan was. I thought I would feel very sad at having had a part in the destruction of such a venerable living feature. There was a tinge of sadness mingled with the fascination of seeing the process and the clear evidence revealed – euthanasia rather than murder.
And of course the positive is that when all the logs have gone to dry out for a log burner and the smaller branches been reduced to chippings I will have a wonderful empty space for not only my ‘mini orchard’ but a couple of large specimen shrubs or a small slow growing tree. Should I plant another rowan tree? Perhaps the witches will get me if I don’t.
Space for Seven Fruit Trees
