Loading…
0
A retired logger's comment changed how I read a tree's history
Last week I was removing a big red oak in Waco and an old guy watching said, "You're reading the scars, not the rings." He pointed out a healed wound line I'd missed and it explained why the trunk had that lean. Has anyone else had a client or passerby teach them something on the job?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
troyreed21d ago
That's such a good point and it hit home for me. Had a similar thing happen a couple years back when I was taking down a pecan and this older fella told me to look at how the bark was growing around an old split. He said the tree already told you which way it wants to fall, you just have to listen. I had been so focused on the rings and the size that I never paid attention to the outside stuff. Now I always walk the trunk slow and look for those healed spots before I even start my cuts. It saved me from a bad drop twice since then. Those old timers see stuff we miss because they spent years just watching instead of rushing.
5