Here's a tree for ya!

It was a bit windy in Bellingham WA today!
This is at my parent's house. We watched it work it's way out all day. Nothing you could do but watch. DD held it at bay as long as he could with the ole ladder trick. We did get the city to come block the road as school was getting out when the tree looked like it was going.The school is just a block up, my paren'ts road is a bus route.
Funny how people are...We had our cars blocking the section of road until the city got there. We knew it would go ove the road or over The Parent's driveway. A lady went around DH's truck only to get stopped by our cars at the other end and had to turn around in the very drive the tree fell in! Duh!
There were so many power emergencies, my parents were "next" on the list and power company couldn't say when, they had live wires, no sparking though. Those poor guys have been bustin their bums the past few days.

So here it is......Wreaths anyone?

the roots or should I say the mud....DPs now have their pond!

The trusty ladder that held the tree at bay.....

Looks like Pinus contorta. Not the first time I've seen one blow down - it happens quite often.

Resin

Those look like shallow roots for a pine tree.

It's a fir tree.
Oh we have seen our share of trees do this as we live in the Pacific Northwest. My husband is in the logging industry. He actually helps sometimes with tree removal from homes for insurance companys. It's a mess up here right now.

The needles look too long for the tree to be a fir. I trust Resin's ID - I can't remember a time that Resin has ever been wrong/incorrect in his ID of a conifer.

OK, I'm stupid! I just went over there and as I got out, I went, wait a minute that is a pine! It was dark last night I hadn't really paid much attention and thought I heard someone say fir. That's what I get for not paying attention, the story of my life!
I had to run back home and post since my parent's internet is out.

IT'S A PINE....I'M A DORK!!!!! WHAT'S NEW...LOL
Karen~

Quick hypothetical (?) question...... Does an overturned tree like this have a chance of growing, IF it could be righted? Say, species that don't have tap roots?

somermoone, not stupid or dorky, I love seeing and hearing about the trees there, Pine, Fir or otherwise
It's blowing here but good, I may have a picture like this tomorrow!

I have heard of it done, but absolutely no first hand knowledge. I am guessing you need a lot of support for a few years until the roots get anchored into undisturbed soil.

Bill

Fairly good for this species, provided not too many of the roots are broken. The roots are fairly flexible and there are usually enough intact roots on the underside of the root plate still undamaged in the ground. I've seen lots of windblown Pinus contorta that have stayed alive, with horizontal trunks turning up at the ends. I wouldn't try to re-erect it though, that risks damaging those remaining roots, and the tree would never be strong again anyway - if you want to keep it, keep it horizontal.

BTW, horizontal trees like this make super climbing frames for kids.

Resin

How would you keep it horizontal? The root base was huge! We couldn't have righted it and it is true the root base would be too shallow as it was yesterday, yikes.
We actually cut it up today. My brother pushed the stump back over the hole for now. The wood will keep someone warm next winter. Cones anyone?
Yes, I heard onthe news the weather is nasty back east. Stay safe!

I had a tulip poplar live for awhile after being blown down in a hurricane. It basically sent out new stems all along the trunk which grew straight up towards the sun. It took up too much room so I ended up cutting it up. Uprooted trees do make nice dens for wildife though.

This is so sad ! The poor tree.
It looks so healthy and it must have been a joy to look at.

I don't know the story behind this horizontal Scot's Pine, but looks like its has been growing in this position for several years. It occupies a prominent site in a large Minneapolis cemetery, and I wonder if the staff didn't deliberately do this to it when young.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/maackia/Woody%20Stuff/Conifers/HPIM3979.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/maackia/Woody%20Stuff/Conifers/HPIM3977.jpg

[/quote]How would you keep it horizontal? [/quote]

By leaving it as it was in the photos . . . you would of course have to move the garage and re-route the driveway, but that's a minor consideration to save a tree :-)

Resin

Too bad we didn't put more consideration into the moving and re-routing:-)
It is sad because DPs have a squirrel feeder in the big maple beside their house. When the squirrels want to run and get away or play they would run from the maple to the pine.
If it would have been a field or acres of property the horizontal would have been great. I never thought about that. That would be so fun for kids to play in and build forts. They would get to climb trees without the fear of falling from way up. You could still get a stick in the eye but you can also trip and fall into bleechers in the gym, rip your gums away from your teeth so the dentist can see your chin bone....yep! Oldest son did that one.
I say play in the trees.
My family have been doing it all their lives for work and play.


On squirrels................Why are we seeing so many black ones this year? This was the first year I have seen the black ones and I see them everywhere, more than the tan colored?? Weird??

My nephew and I

Black squirrel

Looks like it's our turn now . . . from tonight's shipping forecast . .

Irish Sea, Shannon. South or southwest 5, increasing gale 8 to storm 10
Rockall. South 6 increasing gale 8 to storm 10, veering west storm 10 to violent storm 11, perhaps hurricane force 12 later
Malin, Hebrides. South or southeast 7, increasing 7 to severe gale 9, perhaps storm 10 later
Bailey. Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, increasing severe gale 9 to violent storm 11, perhaps hurricane force 12 later
Fair Isle, Faroes. Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, increasing 7 to severe gale 9, perhaps storm 10 later
South-east Iceland. Cyclonic 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 to storm 10, perhaps violent storm 11 later

Guess there might be a few trees down here soon, too

Resin

Keep your head down, Resin! Hope your favorite trees survive.

I just read a book called Plants From the Edge of the World, which began with a chronicle of the (1990?) storm which devestated much of England in general and Kew in particular. Very disturbing. Hope this, though widespread, is nothing like that.

Scott

That one was probably about the 15-16 October 1987 storm - that was very unusual in that it hit southern England. Had the same storm gone across Scotland (as tomorrow's will), it would hardly have attracted any comment.

The really severe storm was on 10 January 1993, but it went just north of Scotland, so no-one was affected very much. But the shipping forecast that time carried the memorable (and never since repeated) "Malin, Hebrides, Bailey. Hurricane 12, or more". That one had a central pressure of 913mB (nearly as low as Katrina)

Resin

Here's tomorrow's weather chart . .

We're suppose to get strong winds again tomorrow. Although I don't understand much on weather, it looks to me like you had better Batten down the hatches.

Looks like the phrase may have come from your part of the world ;-) I looked it up:>0

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/56700.html

Batten down the hatches

Meaning

Prepare for trouble.

Origin

Climate change is providing plenty of opportunity to reinforce our property against bad weather. The securing of property, especially the covering with protective sheeting, is called 'battening down'. That's not how the phrase originated, although it's not far away in terms of meaning. It has a nautical origin and 'battening down' was done on ships when bad weather was expected.

The earliest known citation is from John Badcock, in 'Domestic amusements', 1823 (referring to a sea voyage):

"The severity of the climate having compelled them to batten down and caulk their abiding place."

A batten is a strip of wood. Caulking is the filling of gaps with oakum of similar, to prevent leaking. That's 'battening down' in a general sense. The first citation of the explicit use of the phrase 'batten down the hatches' is from the 1883 Chambers Journal:

"Batten down the hatches - quick, men."