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Silvertwinkie · 07-29-2003, 06:42 PM

A few days ago, I posted that some branch nearly hit my Bambi.

We'll today, about 2pm, a monster tree (a different one) with no warning or reason, broke in half and crashed into my garage.

The garage did not collapse, but it is severely damaged. The good news is that my show car had no damage, nor the boat. The Airstream had small soft leaves brushing and small twigs bushing against the Penguin unit.

When I got the call, I thought that the garage was a pancake and the Airstream destroyed. The garage not only saved the car and the boat, but it very well saved ol' Bambi's neck as well!

This tree was a monster. It snapped in the middle of the trunk. I had often wondered what would happen if the leaning tree (been that way for 20 years) fell. So I reinforced some of the structure a few years ago. I thought at the time I was only being excessive compulsive, but I see today that it may just have saved me from a much bigger problem.

john hd · 07-29-2003, 08:00 PM

twink,

let me guess, silver maple?

saw alot of them on the ground 2 weeks ago when i was in chicago.

don't even make good firewood!

john

**jcanavera** · 07-29-2003, 08:15 PM

Wow, you are a lucky guy! I had two trees fall in a storm last year. Both fell towards the drive which happened to have the Safari in it. 95% of the time the Safari is stored at a lot near my home. Of course we had gotten back from a trip earlier in the week and I had yet to clean up the trailer before it went back to storage.

As it ended up the trees were just short enough that the Safari was missed by inches. I got the call at work from my wife and I had visions of the Safari under a new green hat.

Jack

Silvertwinkie · 07-29-2003, 08:21 PM

The last one was a Maple. This one was an ash.

0 and 2 so far these past 3 days.

53flyingcloud · 07-29-2003, 09:38 PM

Twink,
Have you ever thought of moving???
lol

85MH325 · 07-30-2003, 05:43 AM

Sorry to hear about your tree problems! I hope you can get all your toys out without any more damage.

FWIW... it could always be worse...

here's a photo of an SOB that had a tree fall on it on a hot, humid, breezeless evening in July of '02. It was a couple of hundred feet away from us. I heard the cracking and looked up just in time to see the tree do a slow-motion dance. Then it fell.

Two folks were sleeping inside in the front. A limb went through the roof in back and crushed the bed. They were lucky!

Best of luck with cleanup and repairs at your house! Keep smiliin'!

Roger

ALANSD · 07-30-2003, 06:00 AM

In Georgia and surrounding states we have had a scourge of Pine Beetles, that eat the tree from the core out. These tiny bugs can kill a huge pine in a matter of days. They have swept through my property and cost me 25-30 trees. Many 2- 3" diameter, but some as thick as 12-18 inches. I try to keep up with cutting them down before they fall, but it is not always possible.
I did have 7 or 8 good sized ones removed professionally along my driveway where my Airstream sits, and near my house.
I am very sympathetic to damage from trees...luckily the Pines are the only ones affected by the bugs here, and I have a lot of other trees to keep the shade going throught the hot southern summer.

Pick · 07-30-2003, 06:04 AM

I've got a (you guessed it john_hd!) double trunk silver maple, about to split in two. I have a gravity feed diesel tank right in the line of fire, too. Trying to use the fuel up so we can move it, then I'll cut the sucker down. Silver maple burns hot and fast, good for getting a fire started, but not much good for providing heat, that's for sure. (Unless you like stoking the fire every half hour)

59toaster · 07-30-2003, 06:12 AM

WOW! glad to hear it wasn't worse!

I live just a few miles from Alan and I have been having the same issue with pine beetles. We had 4 pines removed a little over a month ago in our front yard. The smallest was 18 inches in Diameter and the largest was 30 inches. Out 59 literally was parked 10 inches from the trunk of the big one. Now the front of the 59 is actully parked over where the stump was. Only trees left in my front yard is a 10ft tall Japaneese Red Maple and a 50ft tall Magnolia.

I have had 7 Pines in my back yard taken out by the beetles. We are saving right now to have another 13 removed. I'm also trying to convice the owner of the house next door to remove eight 18-24 inch diamter Pines on his side of the peoperty line that could hit my house.

Silvertwinkie · 07-30-2003, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 53FlyingCloud
Twink,
Have you ever thought of moving???
lol

Well, there are only two trees (on my 50'x138' lot) that can do any real damage to the twinkie or the other toys in the garage.

Sometime this week I'll have 50% of that threat taken away.

I can't believe how lucky I've been.

One thing that I'd like to mention, is that this happened at about 2pm yesterday. I got the call at about 2:30 at work. Got home at 3pm, saw the fire department here cause there were some live wires under very high tension. Placed the call to State Farm at about 3:15. By 4:30, I had a claims rep answering my questions on what to do next and how we will proceed.

It is just so surreal to think that I came literally within a few inches of having a crushed or flatened twinkie (let alone other toys).

Thanks all for the info and kind words.

Eric

crazylev · 07-30-2003, 09:02 AM

Eric.

About eight years ago, I picked up one of those propeller seed things from "some" maple tree here in Chicago and planted it in my backyard about 3 feet from the garage. I thought, gee, in about 30 years or so we should have a nice shade tree.

Boy was I wrong. In a matter of just seven years, the "shade" tree, which I know know was a silver maple, grew to a stunning 35 feet tall!!! I know this because my building is 32 feet. Trimming and trying to contain the thing made matters worse, as the limbs were reaching into phone and electrical lines. I am pretty tight with the neighbors, and I wanted that to stay that way.

Sadly, I had to cut the thing down last November. I was told by the tree guy that I did not plant the tree deep enough, and that it would have fallen anyway in a matter of time, and in the city, no matter where a tree falls, lawyers spring up!

So now I've got a garage full of maple curing for our camping trips, and yes, I think wolmanized limber might burn better than this. This was an urban tree that I believe could lock and load a Glock!!!

My wife can now plant tomatoes in the yard since we have a bit more sun now....

Glad to hear that you and Brandi are safe...and that the Twinkie is sound.

Jonathan