Posts Tagged ‘trimming branches’
More Trimming
Before the ground in the small paddock turns into a swampy mess with this February thaw, I took advantage of the warm afternoon to use the pole chainsaw on the mostly dead willow tree to get another level of limbs removed.
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By the time I finished, we were picking up branches from pools of standing water at the base of the tree.
I had considered removing all of the large stump at the center of the tree, but Cyndie talked me into leaving it for the time being with a comment wondering how that might affect the center of balance of what remained.
Most noteworthy for the afternoon was the fact that the chainsaw started easily after just a couple of pulls, and none of the branches I cut fell on my head.
It went so well that I immediately made my way to a maple tree beside the hay shed that had several dead limbs I’d been wanting to cut out for some time. It won’t surprise me if those are an indication the rest of the tree may not be far behind. We’ll be watching to see what the coming growing season reveals.
Last night, we watched the Screen Actors Guild Awards Show on Netflix. Jane Fonda was given a Life Achievement Award and gave an impassioned acceptance speech that media responses labeled “fiery” and “politically charged.” Would we expect anything less from Jane Fonda?
She tossed in, “Woke just means you give a damn about other people.”
It was mentioned that, in addition to many awards she has won for her accomplishments, she made it onto Nixon’s enemies list for her anti-war activism. I won’t be surprised if she just made it onto the current administration’s enemies list, as well.
I wonder if you can volunteer to be added to such a list. That’s an honor I’ll gladly accept if it ever comes my way.
Maybe I should join SAG-AFTRA.
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Custom Trim
There is an evergreen tree beside our driveway down by the road that must have lost its leader long ago. Instead of growing up, it just gets bigger around every year. I looked back through the photo archives and found a picture I took from the road looking toward our property that reveals how small the tree was when we moved here in 2012.
The shape looked fine back then. I have no memory of the annual growth in the intervening years. Just that it became difficult to drive the lawn tractor between the tree and the fence in the last few.
I took this picture yesterday from the other direction before I planned to trim some branches:
The small tree in the background of the first picture and the foreground of the second picture is not the same tree. The first one died and we replaced it about four years ago with a transplant from up by the house. It was growing too close to the house so we decided to relocate it.
The bigger tree was getting so wide around the lower branches that I decided to take a chance at giving it a custom shape, primarily because it was already flat-topped due to the absence of a leader. I removed some lower branches entirely and then began lopping the ends of the remaining branches to create a symmetrical cylindrical shape.
There were so many big branches and cuttings on the ground to haul away that I decided to get the ATV and trailer for the job. That did not go as planned.
With our long span of uncharacteristically warm weather, I haven’t had a reason to drive the Grizzly so it was very reluctant to start. Meanwhile, the electric lawn tractor was still parked in front and would need to be moved. I had to retrieve the batteries from the shop where they were stored to avoid freezing.
That didn’t do much good because the frozen-solid mower was presenting an error code and wouldn’t move. I monkeyed around trying to solve the issue until it was time to feed horses. When they were tended to, I went down and dragged the cut branches to the other side of the driveway to be dealt with later.
The sun had long ago dropped below the horizon, but I took an “after” picture of the trees.
I don’t know if it looks okay or not but at least it will be easier to mow around next summer. It reminds me of a Dairy Queen Buster Bar ice cream treat in a way. It’ll have to do for now.
Today’s project will be to get the lawn tractor functioning so I can rearrange vehicles in the shop garage. We are finally getting accumulating snow so I will want the ATV for plowing soon.
It’s beginning to feel a lot like winter.
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Lower Branches
There was a time when I neglected to put effort and energy into trimming the lower branches of pine trees, especially ones growing in the natural field on the north side of our driveway. I’ve changed my mind.
My old thinking was that trees out in a forest don’t have people trimming branches. I wanted nature to be able to take its course. My new thinking is that pine trees look better when their growth is managed, and the sooner, the better.
Over the weekend, I was able to give some of our long-neglected pine trees fresh attention and found myself surprised by what I learned. Even though we strive to always pull out vines that start growing up our tees, unseen vines were making their way up most of the trees I trimmed.
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The tool of the hour, day, and weekend was my Stihl GTA 26 cordless chainsaw pruner. Even in cold temperatures, the battery lasted longer than I did. That saw is perfect for this chore.
After seeing how poorly some of the trees have grown, in terms of putting energy into long lower branches instead of strong leaders gaining overall tree height, I made a point to start early on all the young trees I came across.
Why wait?
While I worked, I had Asher tethered to my hip on a 30-foot leash, occasionally enticing him with dropped handfuls of his food bits for him to snuffle through the grass to find. His patience lasted until he spotted someone walking on the road. That led to extreme straining against the leash and annoyingly desperate barking.
After a lunch break, I decided to reward his mostly good behavior of the morning with a chance to play off-leash. He did not make me proud. Sprinting directly from our front door to the neighbor’s woods in pursuit of squirrels, he disrespected every attempt I made to entice him to return.
He nosed around in their woods, extending the distance away from me with each zig-zag. When he got out of sight, I headed off across the cornfield to intercept him but by the time I got there, I spotted his paw prints headed in the direction of the neighbors’ place with the outdoor cat.
Fool me twice… shame on me.
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More Cuttin’
I stepped out with the chainsaws yesterday and continued crafting a new pathway along our north property line. First, I worked the pole saw to bring down branches that crossed the fence line from our neighbor’s trees. This is a task that, like so many others, seems to grow as you work.
For each branch that comes down, multiple previously unnoticed smaller branches suddenly appear.
I don’t know, maybe that’s part of the appeal. The simple task becomes a drawn out project requiring an athletic endurance to complete, and offers a visual reward that can be enjoyed for months.
With the overhead branches removed, the big remaining obstacle drew my total focus: that massive downed oak, frozen in the ground and blocking passage. I’d been slowly picking away at the bark and digging away the leaves around it for days. I found there was a portion where I could saw a section that was suspended above the ground.
It was irresistible to the point I extended my work day to continue progress. I’ve now got the main section across the trail cut into pieces that will be much easier to manage, once the ground releases them from winter’s grip.
I was able to roll one piece out and tip it up on end. That inspired a couple of additional cuts on what remained, even though there wasn’t clearance from the ground. I succeeded at the cost of a sharp blade. The end of the blind cutting put my saw in contact with blade-dulling dirt.
I will spend this morning practicing the art of sharpening my chainsaw blade while the sun climbs high and warms the soil around the dwindling limbs still seized in the frozen ground. Before I do any more cutting, I plan to use shovels and pry bars in hopes of finally eliminating the last barrier across our new route behind the wood shed.
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Project Begins
I’m home from work today to guide tree trimming work on our property. It has been over a year since we wanted this to happen, so we are very pleased the project will finally be getting underway. On my drive home yesterday, I received a call from the arborist who quoted the job. I wasn’t surprised to hear that they are now unwilling to bring the bucket truck due to the melted ground from the warm temperatures lately.
They don’t want to risk getting stuck in mud, which is okay with me, because I don’t want to risk having the trails significantly messed up by a heavy truck. However, I am disappointed over the implications they won’t be able to trim as many trees as I had wanted.
The bright side of that is, it will create less work for me in the realm of chipping, cutting and splitting the branches that will be on the ground when they are done.
Part of me is lamenting the time and effort I spent a month ago plowing and shoveling to make sure the routes through the woods would be wide enough for their truck.
I didn’t know at the time that it would take them this long to fit us into their schedule, or that the weather would be so summer-like that snow wasn’t a problem by the time they arrived.
Our tree guy did mention that instead of the truck, they will bring a lift that will help to a lesser degree. The less time they spend climbing is the more time they can be cutting.
I expect most of my day will be spent standing around gawking, and getting very little else of value accomplished. I want to be present at all times to guide decisions and direct priorities, so the day won’t be conducive to my digging into any other chores.
I suppose I could dabble in some wood splitting when we are back by the shed. It would certainly be a complimentary task to the professional trimming going on overhead.
Guess I should dig out my helmet in preparation for the big day. I’m pretty sure I know what tomorrow’s blog topic is going to be…
We’ll be toiling away to make our trails safe again. It’ll be a win-win project, because in addition to safety from unexpected falling limbs, the trimming will make our trees more healthy and improve their odds of surviving wind and storm damage.
It’s expensive, but I think the investment will be money well spent.
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Relative Something 