Out of the Blue

We had a tree guy over for an estimate on cutting down a mulberry tree in our yard because it is in the process of wrecking our neighbor's stone wall and fence. While we were looking at it, MrsBlue surprised me by asking about the gigantic maple next to it, pointing out it was missing bark all up one side of its trunk. Once I saw what she was talking about, it was no surprise that he said this monster was in danger of coming down, and should probably be felled. We're unhappy about this on a number of levels: The loss of the beautiful trees, the loss of the home of more than one bird's nest, and the loss of privacy from our neighbors' yard. We are also quite concerned that this is going to harm our naturally cool house, as this tree blocks a significant amount of sunlight all day, which combines with our brick walls and relatively high ceilings to allow us to get by with no air conditioning except in my penthouse (converted attic) office, something that came immediately to mind since it was about a thousand degrees yesterday. We'll just have to see how this turns out, since we can't risk this tree actually falling, as it could completely obliterate our neighbor's house if it did.

Felled Links: Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez and Acleacius.
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22 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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22.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 28, 2010, 10:29
Enahs
 
22.
Re: Out of the Blue May 28, 2010, 10:29
May 28, 2010, 10:29
 Enahs
 
Blue, you can spend an extra 5-8 thousands dollars and have an already large tree transplanted and put back in its place! heh
I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.
- W. C. Fields
Avatar 15513
21.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 28, 2010, 10:28
Enahs
 
21.
Re: Out of the Blue May 28, 2010, 10:28
May 28, 2010, 10:28
 Enahs
 
dubfanatic wrote on May 27, 2010, 20:01:
On our road there is a 100-foot tall Western red cedar that died sometime last summer. It's right up against the road and the property it's on has been abandoned for almost two years. One of these winters it's going to fall in a windstorm and probably block this dead-end road but there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Call your local institution for maintenance on the road. They should pay the cost of having the tree cut down.
I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.
- W. C. Fields
Avatar 15513
20.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 20:04
20.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 20:04
May 27, 2010, 20:04
 
Call the city?
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
19.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 20:01
19.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 20:01
May 27, 2010, 20:01
 
On our road there is a 100-foot tall Western red cedar that died sometime last summer. It's right up against the road and the property it's on has been abandoned for almost two years. One of these winters it's going to fall in a windstorm and probably block this dead-end road but there's nothing anyone can do about it.
18.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 19:13
18.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 19:13
May 27, 2010, 19:13
 
I dig where you are coming from, Blue. A close friend of mine teaches dendrology classes at RU here in Joisey so it would be way easier for me to get a trustworthy estimation of whether or not to save them.

LOL, ur spelchek dose nott lik dendrology.
17.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 18:28
17.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 18:28
May 27, 2010, 18:28
 
Get a second opinion from someone who doesn't cut them down for a living. A tree doctor might have a better solution and would probably be cheaper.

Well, the mulberry tree was going either way, since it is ruining my neighbor's wall.

And while getting additional opinions is always a good idea in a case like this, after seeing how badly damaged the one side of the maple is, I would be suspicious of someone telling me they could save it. The tree guy said he thought it may have been struck by lightning at some point, a theory that is supported by a branch that is oddly pruned just above the tree's "wound."

It is old and majestic and beautiful, but if this maple falls on my neighbor's house it seems likely someone would get killed, so as much as it breaks my heart, I do indeed believe it must be cut down.
Stephen "Blue" Heaslip
Blue's News Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, El Presidente for Life
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16.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 18:23
16.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 18:23
May 27, 2010, 18:23
 
I blame the squirrels
15.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 18:20
15.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 18:20
May 27, 2010, 18:20
 
Get a second opinion from someone who doesn't cut them down for a living. A tree doctor might have a better solution and would probably be cheaper.
14.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 18:14
14.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 18:14
May 27, 2010, 18:14
 

Odds are about 1-in-3 that mega-earthquake will hit Pacific Northwest in next 50 years.

Thanks a lot, Blue. First, laid up with a cast on my foot for a month, now I read this. Happy happy joy joy.

Oh, and by the way my wife broke her ankle taking a beginning motorcycle course 3 days after I tore my Achilles tendon. So we're *both* in casts. We play rock-paper-scissors to see who has to get up and get the drinks ....
There's no place like 127.0.0.1
13.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 17:46
DG
13.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 17:46
May 27, 2010, 17:46
DG
 
If the tree's endangering the house it's time for it to come down. Speak to the neighbour though and see what they say. It might not change an inevitable result but even so they'll appreciate the involvement in something that affects them.

Think of it as an opportunity to plant a new tree.

Previous parental home had a giant monkey puzzle tree. Looking at google images I can't find one quite like it, ours was at least as big as the biggest ones I could see but it had the great shape that only seems to show on the juveniles (older ones seem to only have branches at the top). I think it was in a book or a paper or something because we'd get a couple of people a year turn up to look at it.

Bit like this except multiplied in scale so you could walk under the lowest branches: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Araucaria_araucana1.jpg
Avatar 14793
12.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 17:33
12.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 17:33
May 27, 2010, 17:33
 
#13. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: All Ghillied Up

I actually enjoyed this mission and map! We need more stealth FPS games! They're fun!


I agree, I actually like that one.

I also agree. That mission was the most enjoyable one of the game in my opinion.
11.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 15:04
nin
11.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 15:04
May 27, 2010, 15:04
nin
 

#13. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: All Ghillied Up

I actually enjoyed this mission and map! We need more stealth FPS games! They're fun!

I agree, I actually like that one.


#15. Top Gun: EVERY LEVEL

"All I remember about Top Gun (NES) was landing sucked!!!!

It took awhile to get the hang of it, but eventually it was easy. What was the speed? 188 or something like that?

Also, you could cheat at Top Gun by keeping your nose pointed up through most of each mission, dodging 95% of the missiles.

(Jesus, I feel old.)
10.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 13:56
Kxmode
 
10.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 13:56
May 27, 2010, 13:56
 Kxmode
 
nin wrote on May 27, 2010, 10:06:
The 15 Most Annoying Levels In Video Game History.

No Killer Croc level from Batman:AA? C'mon. Let me spend 45 minutes in a level that shouldn't have lasted more than 10, tops.

The flight training and certification course on the PC version of GTA: San Andreas takes the cake! I HATE that part of the game with a passion.

#13. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: All Ghillied Up

I actually enjoyed this mission and map! We need more stealth FPS games! They're fun!

#15. Top Gun: EVERY LEVEL

"All I remember about Top Gun (NES) was landing sucked!!!! Actually in retrospect the controls were as bad as the flight controls in GTA: San Andreas. Did the people behind Top Gun NES work on San Andreas?!" Source
"...and in stonks, Fizzy Squeezy Stocklebocks leaped over Droopy Whoopy Bondfluffs, hitting 300-gigglebits to their 150-snorebucks. Meanwhile, in Whimsyland's market, the pancakes reached parity with pogo sticks."
Avatar 18786
9.
 
Offshore oil vs. offshore wind ... who wins?
May 27, 2010, 11:55
9.
Offshore oil vs. offshore wind ... who wins? May 27, 2010, 11:55
May 27, 2010, 11:55
 
Hmmm, in item 2 doesn't the guy forget a decimal point. Should be 3.3 billion kilowatts not 33 billion. That makes it far less impressive. (Actually it should be 3.6 so maybe I'm not understanding his calculation)
Avatar 22908
8.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 11:36
8.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 11:36
May 27, 2010, 11:36
 
Oh I certainly understand that. I only ever plant with as much information as I can get, how much space a tree will require as an adult, possible issues with roots, etc. But I can totally understand the need. I just hope I never have it myself.


On another subject, that L4D cake is pretty damn awesome. Just don't expect it to get eaten. Those realistic cakes might actually be delicious but people still avoid them. I remember a Halloween party a few years back my sister threw and her closest friend brought 'cat box cake' which looked like a litter box with nice fresh turds and clumps of urine. It looked so real that nobody ate any. The adventurous eater I am, I had a chunk of it but I could only get through half of it (and a few bites off a chocolate cat turd) before I was done. It was just so realistic my brain was telling me 'you don't want to eat that!' lol.

So good luck with the L4D cake. But unless all your friends love L4D, don't expect if it hardly gets eaten at all.
Avatar 17499
7.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 11:34
7.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 11:34
May 27, 2010, 11:34
 
Fion wrote on May 27, 2010, 11:29:
Now as an adult I never cut down any trees and I never plan to.
I understand and generally agree with the sentiment. However, sometimes it is necessary -- as with Blue's situation, or with my Honey Locust that's going to die or become a problem sometime in the next 5-10 years.
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
6.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 11:31
6.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 11:31
May 27, 2010, 11:31
 
Yeah, I'm not as far north as Blue, but too far north for fruit trees, except for apple. I'm essentially 120 miles straight south from Chicago. I put some value into the idea of someone being able to buy this house 50 or more years from now and looking in the back yard and saying/thinking, "Wow. Look at these two great trees."
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
5.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 11:29
5.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 11:29
May 27, 2010, 11:29
 
I remember as a kid my mother's boyfriend at the time used to cut down at least three trees every spring. Now mind her house is right in with the forest so there are still dozen or more beautiful oak and maple tree's all over the yard but it always drove me nuts. Now as an adult I never cut down any trees and I never plan to.

This comment was edited on May 27, 2010, 11:35.
Avatar 17499
4.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 11:22
4.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 11:22
May 27, 2010, 11:22
 
I'm moving into a new house in July and I'm agonizing about cutting down some trees. I don't have a whole lot of yard space and I've always wanted to have some fruit trees. These decorative trees are just taking up space. They're not so old and large it would be reprehensible but I sure don't want to start off on the wrong foot with the neighbors who may have grown fond of them. But damn I want some summer nectarines!
Avatar 22908
3.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
May 27, 2010, 11:08
3.
Re: Out of the Blue May 27, 2010, 11:08
May 27, 2010, 11:08
 
Holy coincidence, Batman! I just contracted to have the two large trees in my back yard removed.

I wanted to get rid of the Sweet Gum simply because I am tired of the spiked ball seed pods it drops. The other a Honey Locust (Thornless) is "near the end of it life span." I could have the dead portions cut out, and the canopy raised/trimmed -- it would probably last another 5 years, possibly more. But I figure it makes more sense to remove both at the same time and put in new trees.

My current plan is to never move, so I don't mind that it might be a few years before I have good shade again. The issue is finding a balance between getting shade I can enjoy during my lifetime and getting a tree I won't have to remove in 40 years, assuming I'm still alive and living there (both of which are hopefully, likely).

Top of the list for replacement selection currently are Frontier Elm, Swamp White Oak, and Yellow Birch. Also considering an "ornamental" tree near the back porch...
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
22 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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