The day a 70 foot white oak came down on my truck

I used to think you could always save a tree with enough cabling and bracing... but last Tuesday changed my mind. A big white oak on Maple Street in Portland had a crack right through the main trunk, and the owner begged me to try and save it. I spent 4 hours rigging it up, but the next morning it split and crushed the bed of my F350. What convinced me was seeing that crack go all the way through the heartwood - now I know when to just say no. Has anyone else had a tree fail on them after trying to save it?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese55122d ago

Wait, was the crack really through the heartwood or just along the grain? I've seen heart cracks that look worse than they are, but a true split all the way through is a different story.

miller.paul8d ago

Four hours of rigging and that crack still took the whole tree down. I've seen plenty of bad splits in my time, but one that goes clean through the heartwood on a 70 footer, that's not a repair job, that's a countdown clock. You did the right thing trying, but sometimes the tree just tells you it's done and you gotta listen the first time. Your F350's bed is a rough way to learn that lesson though. I'd be staring at that damage every morning wondering if I should've just walked away from the start.