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Award winner author of gardening humor books

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May Dreams Gardens

Eulogy for a Tree

August 16, 2017 By Carol Michel 15 Comments

The other day, my sister, who lives with her family in the house we all grew up in, sent out a text to let us know a crew was cutting down the maple tree in the front yard the next morning.

Without hesitation, I changed all my plans for the day so I could be present for the last moments of this once grand and glorious tree that we grew up with.

My Dad planted this tree, and many others, when we first moved there when I was a toddler.  I assume I was there for the planting, perhaps playing nearby or maybe watching from a window.

I thought it fitting, therefore, that I was there during its final hours.

The tree was healthy until this spring, when it wasn’t healthy. Maple wilt? Verticillium wilt? We don’t really know but the few leaves the tree did manage to produce were one-third the size they should have been.

I remember when we were kids this maple tree had a tiny horizontal crack at just about eye level. You could stand there and watch as the crack opened and closed on windy days. Not wanting to lose the tree, my Dad got a long narrow steel plate from the neighbor across the street, who happened to be a welder, and screwed it to the tree to hold it together. Over time, the bark grew around the plate and unless you were there when it was screwed to the tree, you wouldn’t know it was there.

We reminded each other for years to make sure whoever owned the house knew there was a six foot long steel plate somewhere in that tree, just in case the tree ever died and needed to be cut down.

That day finally, regretfully came, and so we told the guy they hired to take down the tree that there was a steel plate somewhere in there.

I watched as the tree guy took his time carefully climbing up the tree. One by one, he deliberately chose and cut off each upper limb. As each limb crashed to the ground, another guy stood by, waiting to drag it to the chipper.

After several hours of working in tandem—climbing, cutting, dragging, chipping—they were finally ready to cut down the main trunk. They cut on one side and then the other. We stood a safe distance away and watched to see if they would find the steel plate. Yes, they found it and though it did mess up a few saw tips on one of their chain saws, we were happy it didn’t cause any kickback of the saw.

They continued to cut around the trunk but the tree stood firm, presumably held in place by that steel plate. Finally, they took the rope that was looped around the tree and attached it to a truck.  The tree was no match for the truck and with a loud crack, it finally fell down.

And there it was, that steel plate that held the tree together for so many years.

It held it in place as long as it could.

Now that the tree is down, we all want some of the wood from it for a keepsake, a reminder of a tree that saw over 50 years of our family’s life. I resisted the urge of asking them to take the load of wood chips to my house to use as mulch in my garden, but I did collect some seeds from one of the few limbs with leaves and seeds on it. I don’t know if the seeds are mature enough to germinate, but I’ll try a few and see what happens.

We probably collectively over three generations— my Dad, me and my siblings, and later my sister’s kids—raked millions of leaves from that old maple. Unlike the oak tree nearby which stubbornly holds its leaves until the spring, the old maple tree dropped thousands of brightly colored leaves every fall for us to rake up.  I’m sure my sister and her family will miss them this fall.

Now my sister wants to know what they should plant to replace the old maple tree.

Replace the tree? You don’t replace a tree that has graced a front lawn for over 55 years. But maybe we can figure out some other trees and shrubs to plant in its honor.

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: family, trees

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. outlawgardener says

    August 16, 2017 at 3:27 pm

    How sad to see this beautiful part of your family history cut down.

    Reply
  2. Lisa at Greenbow says

    August 16, 2017 at 4:18 pm

    It is always sad to lose a tree. When losing a tree with personal history it makes it even more sad. It is nice that you were able to be there to give it a good send off.

    Reply
  3. MulchMaid says

    August 16, 2017 at 7:09 pm

    A tree that old is like a member of the family, or a beloved pet. Thank you for sharing and memorializing it in this post

    Reply
  4. Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings says

    August 16, 2017 at 7:29 pm

    I love this post Carol. I really do. Goodbye to your family tree.~~Dee

    Reply
  5. ProfessorRoush says

    August 16, 2017 at 8:40 pm

    Great post, Carol. Must be some dust around my computer making my eyes water so much!

    Reply
  6. Karen says

    August 17, 2017 at 12:34 am

    What a touching story…thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  7. Kathy says

    August 17, 2017 at 1:12 am

    Yes, as I well know, it is hard to see an old tree that's been part of the landscape cut down. I am glad you all remembered the plate and it didn't cause too much harm.

    Reply
  8. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening says

    August 17, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    Reply
  9. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening says

    August 17, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    Thank you for sharing your touching story. Also having grown up in the house that I live in, my father and I planted my very first tree, an Eastern Red Cedar. The top of the now fifty something year old has weathered a few storms and has been sawed off by the electric company a couple of times, but continues to survive. Although it is worse for the wear, I refuse to part with it as long as it is still alive. Keep those memories of your tree close to your heart.

    Reply
  10. Gail says

    August 17, 2017 at 12:47 pm

    A lovely story. Did you take a piece of wood, too?

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    August 17, 2017 at 2:48 pm

    Thanks for sharing……everyone and everything (tree) has a story to tell….know the tree will be missed for a LONG time.
    Love,
    Aunt Susie

    Reply
  12. Deb in DSM says

    August 17, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    To everything there is a season … a time for planting, a time for sawing down. OK, that's not exactly how it goes but you know what I mean. How wonderful that you got to be part of the tree's life cycle and all that it means! What a beautiful story to share.

    I am curious who gets to keep the metal plate.

    When it comes planting time for something new, just be sure your sister's kids are there to watch. Who knows … maybe they will one day have a story like this of their own to tell.

    Reply
  13. Covegirl says

    August 17, 2017 at 4:02 pm

    Oh, so sad. I remember a pretty maple tree in our yard that my father planted. It provided much needed shade. I was so sad to see the tree die.

    Reply
  14. Denise says

    August 17, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    I remember visiting the Wye Oak many years ago and marvelling at the wires holding it together. I have two old crabapples that may be history come next spring. After 45 years they are really struggling. It's sad to love a tree.

    Reply
  15. Denise says

    August 17, 2017 at 4:43 pm

    That should be lose a tree. Not love. I hate autocorrect.

    Reply

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