Elm Tree Removal

 I knew my elm was old and there would come a time when elm tree removal was necessary. Planted in 1955, my elm came with the house. For 60+ years it grew, gave shelter to critters and shade to the house. It was a play structure and a bridge to the other trees and I enjoyed nothing more than coaxing squirrels down the tree with nuts, hand feeding them and watching them scamper back up. As cute as they were though, those squirrels had done a number on some of the branches – stripping them of their bark and rendering them vulnerable to storms and high winds. With every change of season, a branch or two landed on the roof or in the yard and I knew the clock was ticking.

One day in mid 2016, as I hiked along N 83rd St in Niwot, I noticed a giant elm, not unlike my own, had come down. And by come down, I mean it shattered at the thickest part of the trunk, smashed through the fenced yard that contained it and fell all the way across the road and through the opposing neighbors fence too. After being sawed into chunks it was removed from the road but the evidence was still clear. 

The trunk – warty in appearance on the outside, was lacking structure on the inside. Kind of resembling dry-rot. In an instant I understood that despite the green leaves, my warty looking tree was suffering and a potential threat to my house and tenant. After professional consultation, I agreed it was time to remove the elm from the back yard of 285 Martin Dr.  It was a big decision and I’m riddled with guilt over the loss of critter habitat and saddened by the removal of a tree that was part of so many good memories too. 🙁

Most of you are reading this and wondering a couple of things:

• Who did the removal and do I recommend them?
• How much did it cost?

I used and have only ever used, Reinholt Tree Care. Chris Reinholt is my go-to tree guy. He is skilled, personable and reasonably priced.  When he arrives, there is a team with him. They are clad in hard hats and goggles, secured by lines to the tree and have always respected the neighbors property and safety. I trust them to do a good job, as quickly as possible and as unbelievable as it sounds, they are almost “leave no trace” type workers. If it weren’t for the small pile of saw dust, you’d never know that 12 hours earlier, a mighty old elm stood there.  Need his number? Contact me. 

The cost. Yeah, I’m no fool and budget is always on my mind too. I got a second opinion of course… but at the end of the day, like always, I was comfortable paying Reinholt. The cost of the tree removal and stump grinding was $2,250.  What happens if i don’t pay to have the tree professionally removed? The deductible on my home owners insurance is $1000 and cost of replacing my dog, my partner or myself is priceless. You do the math!

And so it began… the first steps have been taken to prepare 285 Martin Drive for its transformation!

Next: Removal of the things we want to keep/recycle/protect from construction efforts.