We were contacted to remove a Manitoba Maple tree (also called box elder) in the South Keys area of Ottawa. When we got there to take a look, we were surprised at just how big this tree was: it spanned over FIVE different houses! At first, the tree looked ok, but after climbing up into it, could see many problems: cavities that had formed in the tree, cracks, fungus, and decay. It needed to be cut down.
Manitoba Maples are often considered “weed” trees because they grow very quickly, often in places that are left untended like behind sheds or along fence lines. They are very weak and fall apart, which is fine by the tree because their survival strategy is to grow quickly and spread a lot of seeds (just like weeds), but not so good for the homeowner who has to deal with massive branches crashing down onto their house!
This tree was so massive that it was impossible to even fit it into a picture!
Making this removal even more of a challenge was that it was in the back yard with a very narrow access to the street, and under the tree was a fence that was barely standing anymore. The smallest mishap would knock the fence down.
We considered bringing in a crane, but because the tree was so far back, it would have needed the largest cranes available and the cost would have been prohibitive.
In cases like this, there’s no magic solution. We just need to roll up our sleeves and get to work, methodically and safely.
The first step was to obtain a tree removal permit from the city, and it was so obvious that the tree needed to come down that the permit was approved in record time: 5 hours!
Using ropes and equipment we climb into the tree, cut it up into manageable chunks, and lower them to the ground. Because parts of the tree extended way out over neighboring houses we had to use some advanced rigging techniques to hold them up in the air while we moved them into the yard we were working in before lowering them.
Of course, we managed to have fun too while working, and the view from up in the tree was amazing.
Moving the wood out was hard work but we were up to it. You don’t need a gym membership when you work in tree services! Not even a mini-loader would fit into the back yard so we had to haul the pieces out by hand.
We got the whole tree down, tidied up the back yard, and left without any damage to the fence and all the patio furniture, lights etc back exactly where they were before.
