In 1964, Bob planted a row of eight fir trees as a windbreak from the notorious Enumclaw east wind. As the rhodies grew larger and other trees filled in, the wind became less of an issue. The 75 foot firs, which originally protected the rhododendrons, were now killing them with their thirsty surface roots. They had served their purpose, but now it was time to take them out.

The challenge was finding a way to remove them while minimizing damage to the large rhododendrons, many of which were growing within a few feet of the large trunks. Having them taken out from the top down would have cost several thousand dollars, and the branches were so large some damage was still invevitable.

I started by moving six plants, and then dropped the first tree in the clearest place, along a path. Leavng all the branches on, I felled the others in a stack, using the downed trees to protect the shrubs from the successive crashes.

In the end, I demolished only two rhododendrons, and broke four that will recover. The firs were killing about five a year.

Using the Old Trees Downed trees are a rich resource. I spread all the branches small enough to be cut with clippers as mulch, and will clip them into smaller pieces after the needles fall off. The tops of the trunks will be posts for a gazebo, while some of the bottoms will be cut into slabs for benches. Bigger branches and the rest of the trunks will heat our house for at least a year.