Tree removal

There's a pretty large ohia* tree that's very close to the back of the (future) master suite that's leaning and there's a risk of it coming down onto the house in a windstorm, so we decided to remove it.

Mitch removing some low branches with assistance from Steve

They attached a line to help ensure that the tree falls in the desired direction

The line is attached to some other logs, and Steve will pull as necessary

Making the first cut

And the second cut

 

Now the back cut

It's starting to come down

It's down.  Almost exactly where planned.

This is the stump. It turns our the center was hollow, so the tree posed a significant risk of coming down in a windstorm.

The plans call for at least two ohia posts in the house, so we'll save this tree and see if it can be used for one of the posts.

Can you find the critter that was hiding in the leaves around the stump?

* Ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha), known locally as ohia lehua (ohia refers to the tree, and lehua refers to the blossoms), is a flowering evergreen tree that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii.  In many areas of the Big Island, including where we live, it is the predominant tree.  It can grow as tall as 60 to 80 feet, is is generally smaller in areas with shallow soil (such as on our property). Ohia is often the first tree to grow on recent lava fields. The wood of the ohia is extremely hard, dense, and heavy, and it can be very difficult to work. The heartwood has a pink to red color and attractive grain. 

Go back to the top.