Tree Work 4

My driveway seems a lot more open now that the Leaning Tower has been laid low.  I'll get used to it before long, but at the moment, I feel a lot more exposed than I did a few days ago.

My driveway is a lot more sunny!

This episode was expensive, and additional tree removal costs are waiting in the wings.  I have a handful of dead ash trees along the lakefront on Lot 4 (and more on my other two lots).  Most of these trees have been worked over by woodpeckers and are now shedding limbs.  I am concerned that they might fall into the lake, which would make them very difficult to remove.  In addition, they might fall on some swimmer (like me) or a passing pontoon boat full of neighbors.  Better to get them cut, hauled, and chunked.
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Tim agreed to take care of this during the winter.  When the lake has frozen over, the trees can be dropped onto the ice and cut up where they fall.  That way the tree crew doesn't have to get wet!

As noted, I will have someone come in to reduce the 4-foot logs to something I can manage with my little 5-ton electric splitter.  Then the wood will go onto my main woodpile, which already contains about a decade of firewood.  I expect to pass on to greater glory before I burn my way through that pile!

The Leaning Tower is now just a pile of firewood-to-be.

In an earlier post I noted that tree work is dangerous.  An article I found online reports: "The U.S. Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries lists tree trimming as one of the most dangerous professions in the U.S., and a 2009 study conducted by their agency confirmed a total of 1,285 deaths from 1992-2007 among tree care and tree maintenance workers.  In addition, the Tree Care Industry Association reported a total of 47 tree care accidents in 2012 alone involving Do-It-Yourself civilian property owners, and 25 of those accidents were fatal."  For both professionals and DIYers, "the main source of injury and death was when trees or major tree branches fell in unexpected directions." (From the Embark Services, Houston, TX, web site)

So, while tree removal is an expensive maintenance chore, I figure it's well worth leaving to those with the experience and equipment to do it safely. •••