Demise of the Pine Tree

Out back of our cabin is a 75-foot pine tree.  But the beetles got to it and killed it this last fall.  Since it is situated between two powerlines, it is bound to fall through one of them.  So, our landlord contacted the power company to see if they could take it down without it falling through our bedroom roof.  They spent all day here with a 75 ft. bucket truck ... very carefully trimming off all the branches and then cutting it down.  Click on any of the pictures below to see a larger image.

After trimming off all the branches and topping the tree

This fellow was ever so glad to get back down to the ground.

This bucket doesn't stay solid up there in the air.

It was actually swinging in the wind as he was cutting.

When you look down from a moving bucket, from that high

up in the air ... it's a long ways down!

He said, "I said every prayer that I knew ...

and a few that I made up besides!"

This fellow's job was to take down the main trunk.

After sawing a wedge out in the direction he wanted it to fall, he is now cutting in from the other side.

He didn't saw it all the way through, but enough so when he pushed on it, it broke free and fell.

Here's the next big section.  Notice he is now using a much bigger gas-powered chainsaw.

After putting the rope around the top of the bottom section, he is folding the bucket back down onto the truck.

Now he is cutting a huge wedge out of the bottom section.

"Thar she blows!"

look at the size of those logs behind him.

All down safely.

Now my landlord needs to take a look at the logs and see what he wants to do.

They might com back and clean up the debris on Monday.