It's good to remember once in a while that trees are quietly waiting to kill us. This pecan tree dates back to 1945, and has a lot of years left, but it is now shedding limbs that will seriously crease your cranium. This limb fell only a few feet from the trunk, but another of the same size landed thirty feet away on a dead-calm day. Planting large trees at least forty feet from your house is pretty good advice, and getting out from under trees on windy days, or when you tip them over is darn important. Keep an eye looking upward when you are working under trees, and wearing a hard hat is a pretty good idea, too.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Watch Your Noggin!
It's good to remember once in a while that trees are quietly waiting to kill us. This pecan tree dates back to 1945, and has a lot of years left, but it is now shedding limbs that will seriously crease your cranium. This limb fell only a few feet from the trunk, but another of the same size landed thirty feet away on a dead-calm day. Planting large trees at least forty feet from your house is pretty good advice, and getting out from under trees on windy days, or when you tip them over is darn important. Keep an eye looking upward when you are working under trees, and wearing a hard hat is a pretty good idea, too.
My dad worked for the Forest Service. In 1955, while cruising timber was struck by a "widow maker". Fortunately he was wearing his pressed fiber "hard" hat.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed important to be aware. Just a couple of days ago my backyard walnut shed just such a limb as you show in the photo.