It’s the end of an era here at String Central. The sadly mangled, diseased, and ant-ridden street tree, a Norway Maple, in front of our house has been taken.
Here you see him before, in his final sickly days, already bearing The Dreaded Green Spot from the town arborist, marking him for terminal harvest.
When we moved in Tree was already teetering in health, with an extensive ant colony and other ailments. We did the best we could by him, and for a while at least, he did look a bit fuller and happier. But while we were out of the country in India, the utility company did some really horrible pruning, topping him and leaving the severed main trunk to rot. Although squirrels made their home in the resulting hollow, from that time Tree declined. Quickly.
Here’s today’s result, pix from Elder Daughter, who was on the spot (so to speak):
While it’s sad to lose the shade, we really haven’t had any in a couple of years. Plus Tree was dropping branches, and wobbled with a strong push – not a safe state in which to be.
With luck next year the town will remove the stump, and we will be able to file our request for Son of Tree.
String-Or-Nothing 
Loss of a tree is always sad. I hope you soon have a strong, healthy Daughter of Tree and that the squirrels have somewhere else to go while she is growing. My neighbour’s street tree (Eucalyptus lehmannii) dropped a huge branch in strong winds a couple of weeks ago and I’m hoping the council won’t condemn the tree. The rainbow lorikeets and fruit bats love it. It had had a bit of termite damage but the ants had been in and cleaned it out so I’m hoping it’s assessed as sound.
Yes, it’s always sad to lose a tree, even if one’s logical side says it’s for the best.
It’s strange to learn that in your town trees to be removed are marked with green.
In Montreal, a green band taped all around a tree trunk is the announcement that “This tree has been treated to eliminate the Emerald ash borer.” It’s a sign that this tree will not be removed … yet. There’s no reason to believe anyone will ever be able to eliminate the foreign bug or that there’s any chance of saving all this city’s ash trees permanently. They will eventually go the way of the magnificent elms that once graced the streets of many urban jungles – also killed by an imported pest.
Trees to be removed are marked by a red or red-orange band of spray paint. Once marked, some seem to burst with renewed vigour, and the city conveniently forgets to cut them down. Most fall to the urban lumbermen in due time.
Thank you for the tale of your Tree.