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Do you have any sick trees in your yard?

By
Real Estate Agent with EXP Realty, LLC

 

Do you have any large sick trees in your yard?  If so, you need to have them removed as possible if they can't be "fixed." 

This has been a hard blog to post because of the guilt that I felt.   Someone could have been killed because I didn't want to cut down a large tree in my backyard that was sick.   

My first draft of this post was written a year ago.  The original title was "How do you thank a fireman?"

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How do you thank a fireman? 

My gratitude towards the Colorado Springs firefighters that responded to a call at my house a couple of weeks ago, should have made this a simple post to write.  However, it has proven to be incredibly difficult.   The firemen risked their lives on a extremely windy night dealing with something that I could have prevented. 

Let me give you a little background.  I had a large tree in my backyard had been sick ever since I bought my house in downtown Colorado Springs about three years ago.  Additionally, a large pine tree in my front yard died suddenly last fall. Both of these trees were taller than my two story house.  It was going to be expensive to have them cut down.     Even though the sick tree in the backyard was ugly, it was so big that it provided my upstairs bedroom enough privacy from the adjoining office building and apartment complex that I never felt the need for curtains.   In other words, the sick tree in my backyard had a huge...a massive trunk.   As ugly as it was, each year, I hoped that it would survive another year.   

I knew that I had a tree "issue." I actually joked that I wouldn't be lucky enough to ever have the ugly, sick tree in my back yard blow down.   In my wildest dreams, I never considered that the sick tree would put someone's life at risk.   I didn't think it would hurt me.  I didn't think it would hurt my neighbors.  I didn't think that it would endanger firemen.   

Firetruck

 

 

Home owners....if you have a sick or dead tree in your yard - please learn from me, get rid of it before it endangers someone's life. 

On Monday, April 8, the news was all about blizzard warnings.   When I left for dinner,  it was still nice outside.  I didn't even take a coat.  While at the Springs Orleans, one of my favorite restaurants,  I noticed the wind picked up when someone came in the restaurant.  The wind caused the table cloth to flutter against my legs. 

When I got home, I found the Colorado Springs Fire Department at my house.   At first, I assumed that someone must have had a medical problem on the side walk in front of my house.  That has happened once before.  It turned out that the massive maple tree in my backyard was blown over in a 55 mph wind gust.   My neighbor was home and heard it come crashing to the ground.   She called the fire department, her husband, and then she tried to get in touch with me.   

I was VERY blessed that bulk of the tree fell between two houses rather than in my neighbor's house or into mine.   The tree was huge.  It would have cause some serious damage.  I was also fortunate that I had already removed most of the dead limbs so I didn't have a lot of damage from lower limbs.  As it is, I've just got a comparatively small hole in my roof and in a wall.   

Despite the windstorm and rapidly dropping temperatures, the Colorado Springs Fire Department cut off a bunch of branches that were creating a hazardous situation.  Some of the guys were part of Lieutenant Jason Leach's team.  The guys in the other truck where from one of the stations from the northern part of the city.   They were the were the large tree/big chain saw specialists.  The picture below shows the branches they removed from the tree.  (The firemen are standing in my front yard close to what was the top of the tree.) 

Lt. Leach did an exceptional job of explaining what happened, how lucky I was, what they were working on, and keeping me updated.    Lt. Leach's Captain also spent some time on the scene.   He too made sure that I was aware of what they were doing. 

As it is, I'm sort of scared of heights.  The high winds created a very dangerous situation as the firemen removed branches and later covered the hole in my roof and wall with plastic.   I was so concerned that someone was about to get hurt, I decided to put up the camera after taking a couple of photographs.  I didn't want to accidentally film a tragedy that I could have prevented. 

Once the tree was stabilized, the firefighters from the downtown station covered the hole in my roof and wall with plastic. They did such a good job with the plastic, the insurance adjuster didn't want to remove it for fear of causing more problems before I could get the tree cleaned up so that a contractors can fully assess my damage.  I wasn't able to get the contractor's out until last Friday.  They too left the plastic in place for the time being.  15 days later that plastic is still in place despite rain, wind, and more snow.  (That danged piece of plastic ended up covering up the hole for almost three months.) 

As of last weekend, the tree in the backyard is finally gone - except for the bark and wood-shavings that I kept for landscaping purposes.   I allowed the arbor-man to give the wood away.  He was happy to have some "good" wood that wasn't rotten to give the firewood people who normally are willing to remove his less desirable wood. 

Everyone that saw the tree and the pile of wood, that became referred to as the "firemen's pile," was very impressed by the Colorado Springs Fire Department.  ( I was very appreciative that they kept all the big branches from further damaging my house or my neighbors house.  Yet at the moment, I'm still in awe of how well that plastic covering the holes has held up despite the challenges of putting it up during the 40-50 mph wind gusts.)

 

Downtown Colorado Springs Firemen working in Windstorm

 

Firemen, thank you for being willing to risk your lives to save those of us who could have potentially prevented our "problem."    I should have cut the tree down sooner.  I suspect that too many of the fires and problems you respond to could have been avoided. 

I now realize now that a sick, dying, or dead tree is not worth risking any one's life no matter what kind of view the tree might be blocking or what sentimental attachments may exist.  If it is sick, dying or dead - it needs to go.    

 

The tree in daylight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Within the last two weeks, I've gotten to know the arbor-man very well. (That will be another post.)    I had him remove the maple tree that had fallen plus a large pine tree in my front yard,  He said that it died last fall from pine beetles.    While it makes me very sad to have lost and removed two huge trees that were taller than my house,  at least I am not worried about the high winds knocking down another tree tonight.   

If you have a sick, dying, or dead tree, please realize it is not worth risking any one's life no matter what kind of view the tree might be blocking or what sentimental attachments may exist.  If it is sick, dying or dead - it needs to go. 

 

 Sondra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments (4)

Debbie Laity
Cedaredge Land Company - Cedaredge, CO
Your Real Estate Resource for Delta County, CO

This is great advice, Sondra. You were blessed. I can picture the scene since you drove me by your house. I'm so glad no one was hurt and your cute house wasn't hurt. Oh really I'm so thankful for you. 

Apr 03, 2014 04:08 PM
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Impressive how close it came, yet missed your home.  I am sure the firemen appreciated an opportunity to help that did not involve a dangerous fire.

Now you have an opportunity to find a few trees to replace these landmarks with, I am sure your Arborman can help with this.

Apr 03, 2014 04:54 PM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Somehow Sondra by sheer dumb luck I have removed dead Post Oak trees in my yard when they died despite the cost, and the charge varies. The roof or fence damage, a person killed, YOU were lucky. GREAT reminder!!

Apr 04, 2014 11:44 AM
John G. Johnston
John G. Johnston & Associates, LLC - Westcliffe, CO
An Exclusive Buyer's Agent ~ Westcliffe, CO

Sondra  Sorry to hear about the lost tree but happy no one was injured.  It's hard to let go of something we have so many memories...

Apr 04, 2014 01:46 PM