Requiem for a Tree

The strong Wheatley winds finally got the better of our tenacious half-dead Manitoba Maple last weekend. Given that the living half made for a lopsided configuration over he dead half, and upon further inspection the entire trunk was toast from the inside out.....well, it was only a matter of time. Still, it was a sad discovery at 7am on Monday morning.

We are clearing away a lot of the branches and brush....but have decided to leave the main bulk of the tree right where she fell, as a sort of ecological lawn sculpture. Some of the branches may still actually bear leaves this year, in spite of everything, making for a nice little natural gazebo under the limbs. Plus, the birds love it, and had several homes in the dead branches before all this happened. Who says a shade tree can't be horizontal?




Of course, SOME of the tree had to be removed for safety reasons.....which we will put to good use at Rawk the Coop.