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 A few weeks ago, Donald was working by the wood stove in the kitchen when he heard a tremendous crash. He looked out to see that an old spruce in our backyard had fallen over, for no apparent reason. We were glad to have already taken down trees near the house. Spruce isn't good firewood, so Larry will chop it and give it to a guy who taps spruce for sap.
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Regrets to  Landclearing is an important part of the job. Healthy trees are pruned and sometimes re-sited. New willows are strategically placed in the field for beauty and privacy from the road.  Landclearing conducted by Larry Burcroff and his assistant Ryan. Rob drives.  Willow moving to new home in the field.  How glad we were to have taken down the trees that listed over the roof. And to have discovered that snow makes our driveway undriveable, in time to fix the problem before winter.
 Remember Tim and Toni Locke who felled the overgrown trees near the house? This week, they came back to take out the stumps. An opportunist tree salesman, catching a glimpse of this procedure from the road, thought to make a sale by swerving onto the property to inquire if we needed replacements for the trees being removed. (No.)  Small skid steer works with the grapple rake attachment to maneuver stump extracted by big excavator (below.)  Holleywood's stumps were so wide, a stump grinder had to "grind them off" to fit in the dump truck that would cart them away. Landscaping at this point is landclearing. Brush is removed not only because it's unsightly, but because it is choking and stunting trees. Like lilacs and a lovely fruit-bearing pear tree we discovered buried inside a clump. The brush is burned, creating (permitted) fires so dramatic that an artist stopped by for permission to paint them.    The tree felling adventure was repeated this week when several overgrown spruces came down on the porch side of the house. They were not only listing, but crowding out an oak and a tulip tree which we hope will rebranch and fill out and thrive. Now, light streams in not only through front windows, but west windows, too. 
 When we bought the house, it was shadowed by shaggy, overgrown trees.  Taking down the trees meant weeks of sweeping and chopping and burning.  Light pours through windows that were dark for a century.  1. Start with an ancient dark spruce the height of a dinosaur, listing dangerously close to the house.  Sherman's been climbing trees for 17 years. 2. Fill up chain saw with gasoline. Relax. You're a tree climber. It's not the most dangerous profession. It's the second most dangerous profession. (The first is fishing.)  3. Put on gloves, hard hat, cleat shoes, earphones and chainsaw. Now, weighed down with all that, go climb a very, very tall ladder.  Tim and Toni Locke, owners of Enchanted Forestry LLC. 4. Make sure your coworkers stand beneath, spotting you. 3.5 Make sure you have trustworthy coworkers.  5. Rappel up the tree, sawing off branches as you go.  6. Try to forget that the average chainsaw injury requires 110 stitches.  Every man on the work site was called out to help. 7. Because the tree stands so close to the house, you can't take it down all at once or it might land on the roof. Tie a rope to the top and saw the top off partway. Then, tell the team holding the end of the rope to pull.  8. Make sure the treetop falls where you want it. Not so easy when wind threatens to make it (and you) fall backwards.  9. Keep your work area tidy. Sweep away treetop and fallen branches with a tractor.  10. Lop off as many branches as possible. When you've denuded the tree, tie a cable to what is now the top of it.  9.5 It looks like a giant palm tree, doesn't it?  10. Secure the cable to truck and tractor.  11. Congratulations! The tree came down and the house is still standing! Walk the trunk like a conquering hero.  12.
Take away wood to be seasoned and milled. (Miller = 10th most dangerous profession.) |
who we areWe are a couple of Upper West Siders from NYC who never set out to buy an old mansion in Connecticut. But the moment we walked through its massive front door, we were smitten. The info on this site is earnestly cobbled from a variety of sources, including the web. Please let us know if we've gotten something wrong, or if there's a story about Holleywood you'd like to share. forewords
June 2018
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