losing an old favorite

[splodger]

it looks like we are going to lose one of our favorite old trees - and we will be really sad to see it go (or blow)

it was in poor shape when dad first got the wood - the bottom rotted out and half of it had blown over from a split in the trunk

recently the trunk has split even more and we fear it is going to blow at anytime - which will create a bit of a mess









last two pics show tree in background - to give sense of scale

it's a biggun for a holm oak - got to be 80 or 90 ft high if not more - we have put a cable on one of the heavier stems, to try and hold it back - but unless we can reduce the weight of it - i think it will just split even more at the base and go - but the wood is so hard to cut through, we could be up there all winter pruning it

it's a lovely old lump - i'd be sad to lose it

[Alex]

Looks like a lot of work involved there, I hope you got a good log burning fire!

[splodger]

we have every intention of pruning it back as much as we can - to lessen the weight on the lean - but this is a seriously big lump

it's too damn hard to cut by hand - so we will have to rig up a bosun chair type thing - so that it's possible to get a fair sized chainsaw to it

if the wind doesn't get it first - we want to try everything we can to save it - the bees will be upset though - as there is a fair sized colony up there - hopefully we won't have to disturb them too much