Is it sad to mourn the loss of a tree?

We have a pretty thick tree canopy, and soon after we moved in we found a great tree guy: Alex at Daytona Tree Service. (Free plug for him.)

He came out today for a regular look over and said that one tree finally has to go. It's had its issues, but he's been nursing it along for at least a decade--removing weight here and there to make things easier. It's always had a cool spiral to it.

It now has a fungus and is rotting from the inside out. If there is any consolation, a new tree is growing out from the base.

So long, tree, you had a good run.

Not at all. When I was a kid there was a huge maple tree in a field next to the neighborhood. I climbed that tree many times, it ate a few kites, and provided great shade on hot days. I remember being quite sad when it got damaged in a storm and they had to cut the rest of it down.

I've got a dead apple tree in my front yard. Kinda sad to see it go, but it's better than it falling on my house.

It always makes me sad to see something so old have to go.

Always sad when one finally leaves..

Seriously, yeah it's kind of a bummer. Tree's always amaze me when I think about how long they've been in one spot and how much they've "seen" over that time.

Thanks. Alex returns on Tuesday to do the deed.

Morn the loss of a tree? Yes.

In reply to Appleseed:

I came to comment on the grand old oak

Just call these goofs: Mourning for trees.

As the emerald ash borer beetle makes its way into Minneapolis, we've starting to mourn ash trees. We used to have streets lined with elm trees and when those all died, the city replaced them with ash. Now, we're going through the same thing again. Hopefully this time around they'll replace them with a variety of trees, so that when the next wave of disease/bug/whatever comes along it doesn't happen again.

I have mourned many a tree, they are grand creatures. One saved my life once, so I am an official tree hugger now.

Not at all.

The house my ex-wife still has, when we were still married, we had to have to 40ft tall Oak trees taken down from the front yard.

Both had become infested with tree borers and the bark on the bottom 18-24" was falling off. Not worth risking them falling toward the house.

That was not an enjoyable way to spend $2600.

There have been a few I was sad to see leave.

The most missed was a live oak that got struck by lightning. Even though the trunk was well over 7' in diameter, it split it right down the middle. Two years later we had to remove it. That required renting a chainsaw with a 4' bar. There is still a monster hole in the canopy where that tree stood, and it died 20 years ago.

I'm haunted by the persimmon we planted, and can't help feeling we didn't set up properly. We have removed the stump (it split repeatedly), and it keeps trying for new growth, and I feel guilty every time I see it.

We had a fairly large Bradford Pear drop a large limb a couple days ago. There is now a gaping hole in the side of the trunk and the whole dang thing is going to have to come down. I'm really sad about it because it's a Berkeley-load of work that I didn't have before the dang thing fell down.

My parents had a crabapple tree in their side yard that I used to love as a kid. I used to climb it, have "apple wars" with the neighbors, and more. When I was around 18, they cut it down because it was unhealthy. 17 years later, I'm still sad about it.

I mourn the loss of the two large Oaks my neighbors took down a few years ago. So does my entire row of dying Gardenias that can't handle the new amounts of sun exposure.

That tree? No. I've got a tree that I'm anxious to bring down though. It will be expensive as hell, but eventually the roots will crack the garage floor, and if it were to fall, it would take out the garage. Not to mention the mess the damn thing makes. I’m not sure what kind it is, but the leaves from this thing are incredible—I’ve never seen so many! One tree contributing leaves to the yard, and we had to rake 5 different times and still have dead leaves in places.

I might feel different if the damn thing actually gave us some shade, but it almost always misses the house. Maybe in the summer it will be better?

Can you get a few chunks of the wood to immortalize it as a shift knob or steering wheel?

A stressed tree like that might have some interesting wood.

Also, Viking funeral.

Trees take a lifetime to grow so it is a big deal to me.

Trees are great, but like all of us, they have a finite lifespan. But the way I see it, the wood can be used for more than merely firewood (although that's mostly what I use it for). As an alternative, some great long-lasting furniture can be made from the best of it. And I do that too.

Datsun310Guy wrote: Trees take a lifetime to grow so it is a big deal to me.

Everything that lives takes a lifetime to grow...

Kinda like "Ran when parked"

Yes, I love the big trees in my yard, I try to plant more every year.

Just had this conversation with my mother. She had a 100 year old tree cut down in her back yard. On the bright side, I got free firewood.

All good things must come to an end.

I had a maple tree on the terrace that was full grown in 1908, I have a dated picture.

It died gradually, several trimmings. The city decided that it was a hazard after a large section/limb fell into the street.

I miss the shade it gave my porch. Don't miss the leaf clean up every fall.

There was a weeping willow that fell when I lived in Louisiana. I felt sorrow for that. I liked that tree.