We have a huge old sycamore tree on our property that has a giant split down the middle. It’s essentially two trees growing out of one trunk, which I’ve learned is quite dangerous, and the tree is on the site where Jake wants to build his shop. So we decided to bring it down today, aided by Jake’s friend Shelby and Shelby’s bulldozer.
First, Shelby dug a giant hole around the tree with his bulldozer while Jake and Cowboy eagerly looked on. (Typical boys. They love this stuff!)
Once the giant hole was dug, and as many mammoth roots pulled up as possible, Shelby’s machine gave the split tree a push.
Cowboy, Sunny and I watch from a safe distance.
Thar she goes!
Is this when you yell “Timber!”?
TIMBER!
Sensitive Sunny comes to me for some TLC. This is too much excitement for her.
The root ball.
Jake trims branches to prepare the trunk for cutting. Sycamore wood isn’t worth much, apparently, so Shelby is selling it to a nursery up the road to use as a heat source for their greenhouses. We gave the tree to Shelby in exchange for knocking it down and refilling the hole for future building. Not a bad trade in Barter Town.
The end of a branch was flung into the snow as the tree crashed to the ground. Who knows? Maybe this is the beginning of a new sapling. Aaah, the cycle of life. A thing of beauty, is it not?
All original content © 2012 by Jessie Knadler