Welcome back!
I haven't really mentioned industry around here. Unfortunately, the timber industry, which is the primary industry in this area, is suffering. Logging firms are laying off workers and drivers. The Boise Paper Mill, a major employer here, is cutting back heavily as the need for timber products lessens due to the economy. Needless to say, pine trees are EVERYwhere including the yards of many folks. Pine trees are even harvested from large acreage and replanted for future harvesting. It's a serious business.
I tell you this to explain the photos I took today. Our dog rescue neighbor, Susan L., has a number of pine trees remaining in her yard. Many on the street have cut theirs down over the years. A soft tree in a good strong wind (think Hurricanes Rita and Ike!!) can come tumbling down on one's roof in a heartbeat. Just because they are soft doesn't mean they are light, either!! Those suckers are heavy and will bring your roof down to your floor.
Susan L. decided the pines in her yard were just too darned much trouble (they lose their needles and drop their pine cones keeping one busy for a few months!) and posed a potential danger. She has hired a crew to come in and remove the pines. This is how the side between us looks today.
I will revisit this scene in a couple of days.I haven't really mentioned industry around here. Unfortunately, the timber industry, which is the primary industry in this area, is suffering. Logging firms are laying off workers and drivers. The Boise Paper Mill, a major employer here, is cutting back heavily as the need for timber products lessens due to the economy. Needless to say, pine trees are EVERYwhere including the yards of many folks. Pine trees are even harvested from large acreage and replanted for future harvesting. It's a serious business.
I tell you this to explain the photos I took today. Our dog rescue neighbor, Susan L., has a number of pine trees remaining in her yard. Many on the street have cut theirs down over the years. A soft tree in a good strong wind (think Hurricanes Rita and Ike!!) can come tumbling down on one's roof in a heartbeat. Just because they are soft doesn't mean they are light, either!! Those suckers are heavy and will bring your roof down to your floor.
Susan L. decided the pines in her yard were just too darned much trouble (they lose their needles and drop their pine cones keeping one busy for a few months!) and posed a potential danger. She has hired a crew to come in and remove the pines. This is how the side between us looks today.
Here is how it works. You put one guy at the base of the pine tree with a chain saw. You put the other guy in a Bobcat putting pressure against the tree to help it fall in the proper direction. Got it?
(I hope you all appreciate the time I spent waiting to get this shot!!)
The tricky part is keeping the trees from falling on the lovely Camellia shrubs that fill this backyard. I am sorry to report that this particular tree... yes, the one in the photo falling... landed dead center atop one of the Camellia shrubs. I know Susan L. is not going to be happy about that. She's not home right now so she doesn't know this yet. Sigh. Of course, better the Camellia than the house!!!
So... I hope those of you who are not familiar with pine trees and logging and all that goes with it have learned a little something today. I thought it was interesting to watch them come down... and it is VERY noisy when they fall!! That whole thing about a tree falling in the forest and nobody around to hear... I'm questioning that now. These things sound like .50 caliber rounds going off in your ear when the final wood splits and they hit the ground.
Until our next meeting...
No comments:
Post a Comment