It saddens me to have to cut down on of these giants (picture) . This one wasn’t as big as some, but it was big enough. It stood at the crest of the hill overlooking Mill Creek. Year after year, this tree provided bushels of acorns for squirrel and deer. Its branches provided homes for countless birds. Year after year, its leaves fell to the ground, feeding back some of the nutrients that it took from the soil in the spring. From time to time, I rested in its shade. A tree this size serves to remind me that I am but a small, insignificant part to the sum of the life on this planet. It’s good for me to have such reminders when I get to feeling a little too self-important.
But, unfortunately, lightning stuck this tree about the same time that hurricane Rita blew through East Texas a couple of years ago. The lightning didn’t kill it, but it left a two inch scar along the length of the trunk and knocked away quite a bit of bark. It also broke off a large limb near the top. I knew it was only a matter of time before insects and decay inflicted terminal damage to this tree. So I made the decision to cut it while I could still make some useful lumber from it. I make this decision a year ago, but events seem to overwhelm me and I didn’t do it last winter like I had hoped.
A few months ago, a friend heard about someone in dire straights that could use some firewood, so he asked me if I had some. I cut and split the broken limb over the Christmas holiday. It filled his pickup bed with good firewood. So, this tree benefited yet one more person before it went down.
Two weeks ago, I decided it was time. I didn’t want to wait until Spring when the sap would start moving back up to feed the budding leaves. But alas, when I started the saw, the chain jammed. I disassembled the saw to discover that the drive sprocket was fractured. The tree had received a two week reprieve; a last-second stay of execution was granted by the chainsaw gremlins.
This last Friday afternoon, with the repaired saw in hand (picture) , I cut it down. I botched the wedge cut a little, but the tree politely fell right where I wanted it to go. I had chosen a spot to minimize the number of pine saplings that would be damaged when the giant fell. The tree’s limbs and the small pines kept it from falling all of the way to the ground. This can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s good to have the trunk and limbs up off the ground. But, it puts the trunk in a pinch that can cause little booby traps when you saw into it (picture) .
I squared of the end of the trunk to make a cleaner saw log. Then I counted its rings. I carefully counted 147 rings (picture) . That means this tree started growing in 1860. The Civil War was ragin and Lincoln was presdent when this tree was a sapling. Actually, Jefferson Davis was president in this part of the county. This tree was well established when the 1900 hurricane that destroyed Galveston blew through this country. I counted out to those rings. The years around 1900 must have been wetter than usual because there were four of five wide rings in those years.
There was once a house about 50 yards south of where this tree stood. There’s still a little clearing there that I keep cleared for sentimental reasons. There are a couple of ancient pear trees at the edge of the clearing. My grandmother told me she remembers when there were still furrows from a garden there. It’s possible that kids played on and around this tree.
I remembered my dad telling of the drought in the 1950’s and I counted from the outside inward to those rings. The 1940s and 50s must have been pretty dry; the rings were narrow and tight.
I sawed three saw logs six feet long before reached the major limbs. I was afraid to make them any longer because I knew the logs would be near the lift capacity of the tractor. I was right, the bottom log was a full load (picture) .
The heartwood in the logs has a good red oak color. The top log has a couple of knots that will reduce on the amount of usable lumber. Once it dries, the grain will be fairly open, as is common with red oak. But, it’s usually easy to work with and finishes easily to a beautiful natural color.
If all goes well, I should be able to saw these logs into furniture lumber sometime this spring. I’ll stack them and let them air dry for a couple of years. Then perhaps someday by-and-by I’ll get the chance to make some furniture from it. Maybe I can make a rocking chair that a mother can use to rock her new child to sleep. Maybe I can make a dining table that a family can gather round to share memories. I hope I can make something worthy of this noble oak that will allow it to live on another 147 years.
