I Hate This Tree - Sometimes

This from a person who really does love trees. At our cabin up north we are surrounded by trees and rarely cut one down. Of course they are what I consider to be real trees, sugar maples and birches. The tree on our front lawn, less than twenty feet from the foundation of our house is a different matter. This is a Norway Maple, which is really a weed tree. I have been told by more experienced people that they should never be planted within a hundred feet of a house. The problem with Norway Maples are their very invasive root system and when you combine that with an old house and clay pipes you inevitably run into trouble.

Thanks to our tree we have had two sewer backups in our basement and the cost of replacing all the pipes from clay to plastic was not a cheap thing to undertake trust me,never mind the cost of replacing carpeting and damaged furnishings. Now if the tree had belonged on the city side of the line some of the cost would have been shared. We lost that battle once and won it once. The tree is either ours or theirs and the difference is in inches. Last year when I wanted the tree pruned of dead wood, it was ours. We hired someone to come and do it for us since the city wouldn't, it was conveniently ours again.

Imagine my shock this morning when this big beast rumbled up the street, stopped in front of my house and three young men jumped out and perused my/their tree.

It's really a big tree.

Seems this year it's their again and they were coming to trim. I wonder if the fact that last week we had hurricane strength winds and a couple of big trees on the street came down had anything to do with it? Either way, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, go for it boys said I, it's saving me about six hundred bucks. I did ask if they wouldn't consider cutting it down altogether but was politely rebuffed. Too bad, it really is a weed, a sixty year old weed. They did a great job with the cleanup though. The weed looks regal again.

So now were at two for all with the city. Next time they will tell me it's mine again. This year I don't mind paying my property taxes quite so much.