they cut down the old pine tree

Yesterday we had the big "pine tree" in our front yard removed. Actually, it wasn't a pine tree, tho' that's what Cliff always called it. I assumed it was a Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) but I too was wrong. My arborist informed me it was a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). This is not a common tree in this area. When the guys started cutting up the tree they found old Christmas lights still in it. It may have been purchased as a live Christmas tree and later planted outside. It had grown way too large for its location, and significant portions of the tree were dead or dying, so it was time to take it down. In the picture to the left, taken last April, it is the big tree shown in the upper left, in front of my car.

Here is the tree just after it was felled. You can see how dead some of the branches were. I'd planned to take a "before" shot but didn't realize it would come down so fast. The arborists told me that was the easy part. Actually, it took a couple hours to cut it all up and seven truckloads to haul it away.

Here are the two trucks loaded up for a trip to the town's recycling center for plant materials:

Finally, here's a view of the house after the tree removal. The stump is visible on the left side. I haven't decided what to plant in that area. Was thinking of another tree but am now thinking more of shrubs and flowers. Another area to plant--what fun!

Joanie