Giant cypress tree falls!!

Another "fallen giant".  Everything grows so fast here in the South, that what starts out as cute little trees soon become towering - and potentially dangerous.  With the recent tornados in this area, people are really starting to be concerned about big trees that are close enough to their homes to cause damage if they fall. 

This tree was in the front yard of the Reed's, one of the good members in Starkville.  It was so tall that I had to climb up it (felt like a little boy again, and the cypress limbs are perfect for climbing), tie myself safely with a rope, hoist up a chain saw, and cut about 30 feet of the top off.  It was so tall that a fall in the desired direction would have hit overhead power lines.  With the tree now at a manageable length, a rope tied to a pickup and my felling wedges put it on the ground safely.

Though this tree had to go for safety reasons, cypress is a very desirable wood for making furniture because it is moisture-resistant.  The best lawn or outdoor furniture here is made from cypress for that reason.  After I took this picture, I cut it up into four 9-foot logs, and Br. Reed has a friend who's going to haul it away to a sawmill and have it cut up.

In Farmington, the city has a "once a year" pickup for trees, limbs, and brush that are cut up and stacked by the street in 4-ft lengths.  Here in the South, they do this year round because there's so many trees of all kinds, and everything grows so fast.

So many trees - so little time!!