This is an update to my previous post. Two days of freezing rain on top of snow left us with what now we realized were ten fallen pine trees, instead of six, across the driveway, and other major debris from the old cedar tree. I am grateful that no harm was done to the farmhouse from the old cedar large branches. There were trees under trees. It is truly a big job, more than we expected, but after exploring the cost of removing one already fallen tree, it ranged from $150 to $300 per tree depending on how tall and large it is, and also the ease of access. Ten trees on top of one another, about 30 feet tall or so would have been very expensive, so we decided to take the challenge and give it a try.

For the past three weekends, we have been working on cutting and removing these trees. Thankfully, some were skinnier than others, and pine is softer to cut than cedar or oak. My husband did the cutting, and I helped with sweeping up debris and dragging large branches back and forth to our section of the woods. The piled-up branches will eventually degrade into the soil, enriching it, but in the meantime, these branches will serve as shelter for a few critters. We had good weather for the past three weekends. We worked on one tree at a time, first removing the branches and cutting the trunk later. This made it easier to get to the trees that were hidden under. We decided to leave alone three logs that were a bit up in the air, but still in the wooded area, not in the driveway. The squirrels would certainly like to run across. We are done with the driveway area, and now what’s left is just the old cedar branches, which you can appreciate in the fifth photo. One more Saturday or so, weather permitting.

While doing the job, an idea for a garden project developed on the side. We decided to use the large logs as a way to prevent the large amount of leaves we deal with to blow all over the driveway and garden. Here is a picture of the logs lined up. It will make cleanup much easier during Autumn.

This storm did much damage around the area. A large tree fell on a house across the road. Thankfully, no one lives in that house, but the damage is extensive. Here is a zoomed in picture.

It has been an interesting experience for sure. Would I like to do it again? Not really. I have a better appreciation now for people who cut large trees for a living. It is quite a job. Although my husband was tired, he seemed to enjoy the process.

I will certainly miss these lovely pines, but there are plenty of them left, and maybe now they will have more room to spread the branches and become fuller. I remember these trees when they were about 5 feet tall or less, when we first saw the place. I even thought of naming the place Mill Creek Little Trees, but later on settled for Black Crow Cottage. I hope you enjoyed the post.