TIMBER!
So, if large tree limbs fall in my backyard - and they don't damage anything - am I concerned?
No, not really.
It's just another visit to my "forest" to do some trimming of trees getting too close to my house.
A-Z Tree Service has come here twice before over the last 6 years. A lot of familiar faces.
Again he and his great 9-man crew arrived right on time this morning.
Owner
Sonny Nguyen, dispersed them around the house, cutting away tree limbs that have grown too close
With expert select trimming to assure future growth while they used an array of gear to do the job quickly and properly.
LOTS of specialized equipment!
One little "tractor" driver gathered up logs and limbs and hustled them over to the maw of the massive chipper.
He handled the very heavy pieces.
Others dragged leafy limbs to be ground down to sawdust.
Men with chainsaws and pole saws cut off limbs reducing them into manageable sizes.
Meanwhile, overhead, the "Chief of the Bucket" was in constant motion above all the other activity, carefully dropping thick branches for collection by the ground crew.
Last time they came to trim, the carport was new and the Cherry-Picker was able to deftly maneuver around it.
Same thing this time but a medium-size bush that would have been in the way, I removed the day before.
At the last moment, I explained I had taken it out.
This saved my Oleander that was being discussed for removal. Whew.
In just about 2-hours, they started packing up and moving vehicles.
I noticed this time there was no man actually up in the trees, using ropes to lower large limbs.
Sonny explained that some of the crew was under the weather and, one was the "climber."
All of the others had pitched in to make sure the morning trimming was a success.
I had no complaints as they drove off for another marathon team-session in either Summerville or Mt. Pleasant.
I am sure there will be another happy homeowner there when they finish.
I said
"Thanks and be careful!"
Here are a few more shots showing the team at work:
Labels: A-Z Tree Services, Sonny Nguyen
"Trim a little on the sides, please..."
Yes, the bushes I planted years ago seem to have gotten out of hand.
They had grown and now were tangled into the oak tree limbs.
The fence was no longer visible. It was time to have
A-Z Tree Service come by my house again.
Sonny Nguyen brought his small army of trained trimmers.
Just like 4 years ago when they cut back an overactive cedar tree - and three oaks - they were in and out in about an hour and a half.
What a team. How synchronized they are.
Again, there was a mighty chipper parked on the street, next to the fence.
The men fed a steady stream of branches and limbs into its maw.
This time we needed a cherry-picker to make sure cut tree pieces did not crash down on my new car port.
"You didn't have that the last time we were here," Sonny said.
His estimate included a 'picker and the experience trimmer guy in the bucket with his chainsaw.
I did move my car out of the way just in case.
Heavy branches were not cut until he had them tied to a strong rope he had strung from above.
He knew the leverage it would take to swing it away from the shiny steel roof of my car cover.
These oak branches had been growing closer and closer to the side of the house.
Even a mild breeze could make them move and I did not want anything rubbing the house or the roof.
The tree will bloom out again but a roof or siding would cost quite a bit to replace.
And matching the repairs to blend in would be challenging.
Looks like I have years of breathing room now, all around the house.
While all those limbs were being severed and carefully lowered to the ground, others were struggling with the overgrown bushes along the fence line on the other side of my yard.
As heavy lower limbs were removed, you could almost see the leaning oak tree shrug itself more upright.
Men and machines attacked the overgrowth.
Pulling and tugging.
Slashing with smaller chainsaws.
Branches being fed into the chipper. Thick limbs being cut down to manageable-sized logs.
Men with saw blades at the end of long poles were hacking away at the resisting vines and weeds that had intermingled with the planted shrubs.
In some cases, it was a tug of war.
The battle was being won as the chipper kept humming and multiple chainsaws roared.
Men on the ground maneuvered the heavy branches to others who cut and made them smaller.
Wheelbarrows were filled with loads of short, thick logs and trundled to the back of a truck to be hauled away.
The yard was beginning to take shape. Reclaiming it.
Earlier, using my new small electric chainsaw, I had cut down three clusters of smaller trees but the stumps still stuck up.
A stump grinder was included in the planning and its diamond-tipped blades chewed the roots down to below grade.
Would have taken me days and an aching back to dig those out.
Let the man with the specialized tool do the job.
The small tall trees I had removed had grown up into the electric and cable wires coming to my house. They had to go.
I made sure that my saw and I never got close to the dangerous wires.
Good to see the clear space around them as we come into a season* when high winds are not out of the question.
I had taken out other trees and bushes that were growing in front of the bedroom my mom had used.
She had said she liked them - despite the bees that swarmed each year when the white flowers bloomed.
Mom, who was in her 90s, said she didn't want anyone peeking into her window.
I think she would have been impressed with the job we did on the yard.
It was neat, more open and less danger of limbs falling and banging against the house.
(Click on the photos for more details.)
Sonny and his crew came to my job on Friday, the 4th of July.
He said they had finished one in Ravenel before mine and were on their way to another one or two.
He already had the cherry-picker handy and if stumps needed to be removed, he had that ready as well.
His convoy of trucks lumbered away after two men with leaf-blowers had tidied up the sawdust and leaves that littered the yard.
I'm sure the squirrels will be disappointed with the changes we made.
They especially love my pecan tree.
* Locally, we don't talk much about Hurricane Hugo which roared ashore in 1989.
It comes up every year when the
"H" Season begins but nothing to match it has happened here since.
My folks rode out the storm in this house but lost 9 pine trees.
The photo shows a rather large fallen tree in 1989, being cut into manageable pieces to be hauled away.
Note the small palmetto tree to the left and the
young magnolia on the right.
That same section of the yard shows up today in my view of that corner from the front porch.
Both trees have come a long way in 25 years.
Labels: A-Z Tree Services, car port, cherry-picker bucket, diamond-tipped saw blades, HUGO in '89.remover, leaf-blowers, pecan tree, pin oaks, Sonny Nguyen, stump, wood chipper
"...from a little acorn....."
My neighbor had a problem with a large oak tree in his yard.
Its roots were lifting the back of his cinder block garage.
In a major bad way.
I told him about a trimmer who had brought a trained team to my yard four years ago and he got in touch with Sonny Nguyen, the owner.
They discussed the situation and the decision was made to remove the tree.
One limb at a time. Cut it down to size.
One man in a safety harness up in the tree and quite a few others on the ground, pulling ropes to make things fall - and land softly - where they wanted them to.
When I had had my trees cut back to avoid them rubbing against my roof, it was a major trimming action. This procedure was a total removal.
Multiple chainsaws were roaring as limbs were cut down to size.
Man-in-the-tree was agile and purposeful as he selected which branch to safely hang from as he slimmed down the tree.
Other men, meanwhile, were on the roof of the house, using small chainsaws attached to 9 foot poles.
They were making sure there was clearance all around the house from trees that had grown too close.
I remember that scene from my earlier project with
A-Z Tree Service.
Men on the ground clipped branches before dragging them over to the large chipper parked in the driveway.
Other hefted large sections of the tree and placed them in a large truck.
Smaller diameter logs were stacked by the house in a growing wood pile for the fireplace.
As the cut sections became larger, several men were using massive dollies to move them to the truck to be hauled away.
Meanwhile, the trimming and leveling of the intrusive tree continued.
The tree was diminishing.
Shorter and shorter.
Soon a choice would have to be made on where to place the ropes and safety harness.
Neighbors stood around, watching the action.
I noticed none of the men seemed to be wearing ear protectors against the noisy saw clamor.
Vocal commands were being shouted to bring down the massive limbs with accuracy.
Maybe that precluded covering your ears.
As noted earlier, they functioned as a well-trained professional team.
I wear earplugs at music concerts so I know sound is diminished. Especially, the very high pitch... like that made by a screaming chainsaw.
And, by more than one.
Finally, things began to quiet down.
Fewer saws operating.
The man-in-the-tree was now down on the ground.
Large pieces were strewn about as men cut them down to fit in the truck.
My neighbor was discussing how to best "treat" the stump to make it disappear.
"Drill holes and pour in salt," was suggested. Burning the stump was not an option since it extended under and into the garage itself.
That was the original concern. (Click on the photos for more details.)
Bye, bye former mighty oak.
Labels: A-Z Tree Services, fireplace logs, limb by limb, Lisa Tran, mighty oak, Sonny Nguyen, stump removal time, tiny acorn
Meanwhile, overhead, the "Chief of the Bucket" was in constant motion above all the other activity, carefully dropping thick branches for collection by the ground crew.
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