Another one of my trees down

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Monday, March 4. 2019

Another one of my trees down

Last week it took 4 guys with trucks, saws, ropes, and a cherry picker to take down my giant dying Beech tree in 4 days. Not to mention a lot of $.

Last night, a damp heavy snowstorm took down a White Pine in an instant, around 4 AM. The quick way to down a tree. The boom woke me up. The main trunk missed my shed by 3' and missed my car by less than a foot, and somehow missed my flag. I uttered a Thanks to the Snow Goddess. It did knock down my fence, though.

White Pine is a fast-growing, brittle tree. It's best kept far from things that matter. Terrible landscape trees. This was about an 18" diameter main trunk, which snapped around 10' above the ground. Photo is (was) the top of the tree.

Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 17:18 | Comments (12) | Trackbacks (0)

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They do okay in a cluster, shielding each other. Standing alone, or above the general line of protection of other trees brings them down in the wind. We've taken out six over the years, with one way in the back still to go. But one of the neighbors has ten or so, a few right on the line.

#1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2019-03-04 17:40 (Reply)

True. Thick stands of them do fine. Tallest trees in the Northeast, in right conditions

#1.1 BD on 2019-03-04 18:25 (Reply)

Sad news, and those white pines make poor firewood except for kindling

#2 Sad pine lover on 2019-03-04 18:19 (Reply)

White Pine is good firewood. Burns like gasoline. Best for outdoor fires, I think.

#2.1 BD on 2019-03-04 18:29 (Reply)

Burning pine in a fireplace on a regular basis is a terrific start to an eventual chimney fire. That stuff burns pretty well when it's still quite green, so it can fool the inexperienced. Sure builds up the chimney creosote fast.

#2.2 Aggie on 2019-03-04 20:09 (Reply)

That is debatable. Science says otherwise. I don;t know, but I use it for outdoors.

Out West, pine and fir is all they burn. No problems.

#2.2.1 Bird Dog on 2019-03-04 20:12 (Reply)

Well.....white pine was my favorite tree climber as a kid in Maine, easy branches, almost like climbing a ladder; plus they're so limber that even a slight breeze gives a great ride up once on top. But when I would come out of the forest, I'd be black and sticky from all the pitch resin and I'd catch hell. I think that's the problem. A lot of conifers are fairly dry, but white pine certainly isn't. Like Georgia fatwood, where a walk in a stand of trees smells like pure turpentine and the fatwood will light up and burn just like a candle because it's so pitch-laden. Anyway! It's a good night in Texas for a fire, and that's for certain. Glad your tree missed all the important bits.

#2.2.1.1 Aggie on 2019-03-04 22:45 (Reply)

Save some 1/4" x 1/4" splinters from near the stump ("fatwood") as fire starter. You only need one or two to get the fire started, but seal them airtight to retain the resin. Don't burn pine inside, it creates a lot of creosote in the chimney and that can cause a fire.

So you live in some sort of awesome fairy-tale house? Cool.

#3 Sarcasticat (Link) on 2019-03-04 20:14 (Reply)

In the mid west they tell you not to burn it due to the chimney build up. The last time we bought firewood the wood guy put in a bunch of some sort of pine and we tried to burn it anyway since we paid for it. It kept exploding violently in the fireplace which was a real fire hazard. Finally put it down at the curb with a "free" sign hoping some guy would use it outdoors. It was gone in ten minutes. Never bought wood from the firewood guy again.

#4 JC on 2019-03-04 22:31 (Reply)

That Beech wood should have been good for something - firewood at least.

#5 NJSoldier (Link) on 2019-03-05 07:28 (Reply)

Out here, Douglas fir and larch are the trees to beat. Pine and Grand Fir to get a quick fire going in the morning; fir and larch for banked long-lasting heat. Old saying here, though, is that all of it burns better than snowballs if choices are limited.

#6 Dennis on 2019-03-05 08:50 (Reply)

We lost 3 large (30’, 40’, 50’) maples during the storm in the Candlewood lake area last May. All three fell together, missed my fence, cars, boat, all by 5’ or less,

#7 Dan on 2019-03-06 19:21 (Reply)

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Monday, March 4. 2019

Another one of my trees down