Water Oak

As mentioned in one of my previous posts, Hurricane Gustav toppled several of the huge trees on our property in south Louisiana on September 1, 2008.

We lost a huge oak tree, a pine tree and a sweet gum tree that sat pretty much in the middle of our front yard.  Fortunately when the trees fell, they fell across our front yard and driveway, missing our home by about 6 feet or so.

However, one other tree - a giant water oak - which was located just a few feet from the southeastern corner of our home somehow remained in the ground. 

The thing about water oaks is they have a massive root structure, but the roots are very shallow. These are the trees you see completely uprooted during high winds from hurricanes and other storms - the ones that are literally pulled completely out of the ground.

As Hurricane Gustav tore through our property on that day, my son-in-law and I stood and watched our one remaining water oak swaying back and forth AT THE BASE OF THE TREE.  Why it didn't fall on that day, I'll never know.

What I DO know is the tree had to be removed before the next major storm hits south Louisiana.

Like many of us, I'm sometimes guilty of procrastination.  Since that September day in 2008, I've had good intentions of having the tree removed.  Fortunately, south Louisiana was spared the wrath of any hurricanes last summer.

But I knew I was pressing my luck !

So this past week we finally hired a crew to come in and remove the giant water oak that sat precariously close to the front of our home.

We hated losing the one beautiful oak tree that remained on the front of our property, providing LOTS of shade, beauty, and a safe nesting place and playground for squirrels and birds - but we simply could no longer afford the risk it posed to our home.

Once the tree was stripped of all its limbs - leaving one giant trunk - the tree removal crew brought it to the ground.  When it fell, the tree absolutely came apart - breaking into 3 huge pieces!

The bottom 15 feet of the tree was completely hollow and apparently extremely stressed from previous damage - likely from high winds, lightning and insects.

Obviously we made the right decision to bring down our giant water oak.

And apparently at just the right time. 

Tropical Storm Bonnie will soon be making its way into the Gulf of Mexico and is plotting a course directly for south Louisiana. 

It appears the storm will not materialize into a major hurricane, but judging from the condition of the tree that once stood guard over our home, it wouldn't have taken much to bring it to the ground!

And the loss of a beautiful oak tree is certainly a better option than the inevitable risk it posed to our home and our family.

Until next time...