Another Tree Gone!

So, it was getting to be impossible to ignore the large tree that started leaning out over my house.

Today, I had it taken down.  I got the City of Atlanta-required tree-removal permit last week.  Today, a  crew showed up to take it down, while terrifying me with high-altitude chain-saw acrobatics.

That dude had to be at least 100 feet up the tree, which was swaying to and fro as the limbs came off.  He was on belay, but a fall would still have been painful and injurious, plus he was up there with a running chainsaw.

As far as entertainment goes, it was one of the best shows I've seen all year (not Dark good, but still). I certainly got my money's worth in entertainment, not to mention the peace of mind now that another tree is gone.

Native wisdom holds that trees are our protectors and our friends.  They give us shelter, they provide shade, they're home to small mammals and birds.  I'm  sure my neighborhood owls enjoyed that tree from time to time.  But, native wisdom holds, those benefits don't come to us for free.  We have to earn those benefits from the trees, by nurturing and taking care of them, by showing them kindness, and occasionally by thinning their stands when they grow too close together.  

The poor tree I took down today, crowded among a stand of even taller trees, was only trying to reach out and grab some available sunlight for its much-needed photosynthesis.  But the weight of the branches reaching out for some sun caused the whole tree to start leaning, and it started leaning too far  and toward my house at that.  It was going to eventually topple over, and the responsible thing to do was to take it down before it fell.

Now the remaining trees have more "breathing" room and there's enough sunlight to please the chlorophyll of the remaining trees.  The owls still have a place to roost and keep me up at night with their hooting, and the opossums and squirrels still have homes.  Plus, I'm no longer worried about another tree hitting my house during the next storm.  Everybody wins.  

Finally, a plug for the stellar job done by United Tree Service of Norcross, Georgia.