It was not an easy decision to make; but, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the 11+ pine trees (most of which were 10-12 inches in diameter and over 50 feet tall) on the south-facing slope immediately north of our house had to go.
The trees posed several risks: 1) the debris from all of the trees caused significant gutter clogging issues, 2) they facilitated the significant growth of moss on the house’s roof and north-facing side, 3) given the lean of the trees toward our house and the fact that there were many similar trees on the slope that had already toppled over, the house would take a significant hit should any one of them fall.
From an aesthetic standpoint, Ed really liked the fact that all these trees were close to the house; he said it made him feel as though he had a house in the woods and it was all just a good “feng shui” for him. I on the other hand felt a little bit claustrophobic with all those trees “right there” even though I could appreciate the overall woodsy feel as well.
In the end, practicality won out and we had the trees removed by someone I was referred to when contracting for driveway work. The price was manageable so long as the stumps could remain and so long as the trees (and all associated brush) could remain in place once felled.
And so, our fingers remained crossed during the whole time we knew the sawyer was there cutting them. There really was only one small clear path for the trees to fall if damage was to be avoided.
Not receiving any “bad news” phone calls, we were excited to see what things looked like on our next visit. We were shocked at the difference! I was pleasantly surprised while Ed was a bit reminiscent of what had been, even though he likes the idea of putting in a patio and fire pit where the trees had been (a long term goal).
We were both very much overwhelmed at the brush and wood removal work that lay ahead of us. One step at a time we kept telling ourselves (and continue to tell ourselves). Much of the brush has now been burned (in the most awesome bonfires ever!) but we still have a way to go. The logs, however, will be put to better use. We have spoken with our farmer neighbor and he offered to use his equipment to move the logs to an area closer to where we will ultimately cut them to size and use them in constructing raised beds. The logs will be the foundation for our garden and growing our own food.
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