widowmakers

When you get storm damage in a woods, often you are presented with partially downed trees commonly known as widowmakers...

there is NO easy way to take down these trees. Thank God this one fell down in the windstorm we had this spring after hanging up there for a LONG time.

This is part of the TOP of the tree, it actually was so long it fell completely over the brush pile and there is still about 20 feet of uncut tree on the back side of the brush pile.

This is the bottom part of the tree, except  I had to cut down the trunk part that you can see in the top photo had not yet fallen down.

This is the widowmaker piled in 4 neat piles, can't really see the farthest  back pile. Nice to have that one done..but widowmaker # 2 was more of a challenge. As I said, the top of the tree is still on the back side of the far brush pile, it can stay there for a while.

Widowmaker # 2..

This was a very large heavy tree, broken off up about 10 feet, but still attached by a bunch of bent and splintered wood. This one was NOT going to come down by itself. Ron attacked it while I was gone yesterday with our little oregon battery powered eversharp chainsaw. Well this was the result, using a step ladder, and getting the saw pinned in the falling tree, having to use a wedge to get it unstuck, and unbend the bar...yup...he's good.

Yes, you can see the mess still standing where the tree was hung up, it was up so high I could drive the riding lawnmower under it to mow the path without ducking. Yes it is still in piles, I'll clean those up soon and stack to dry for firewood. Aspen doesn't burn really good, and especially when green, but dry it will burn if you have to burn it. We have a lot of dead ash, and aspen that need to come down, I cut down 3 dead trees this week besides the widowmakers, and there are more that will need to come down. We are pleased that there are a LOT of baby maples and oaks growing up in this woods, and we also have a good deal of alder and wild cherry. I've been planting a lot of trees, on the south edge of the woods I have several baby black walnut, a carpathian walnut, a butternut and two heartnuts. I've also been putting in fruit and seeds of wild plum hazelnut and medlar trees.

We have been gathering fallen branches, smaller trees and brush to put along our property line as a dog barrier, the neighboring dog (when here) loves to attack pets and chickens, so we need to have a way to keep it off of our property.



Hope you enjoyed the widowmakers..