Ezra Levant Demonstrates He Is A Complete Idiot

The quality of research and background investigation that went into the production of this ridiculous video speaks volumes about the quality of what comes out of this joker's mouth.

First are the glaring absences of even the most basic safety equipment: A hard hat is probably the only personal protection Ezra doesn't actually need, as there is little likelihood anything will clout him on the head. A face shield, hearing protection, gloves, and chainsaw pants would have been very appropriate, however. And does Ezra not realize the red and black checked shirt is rarely used by a person wielding a chainsaw?

Next comes this idiot's complete lack of awareness of the basic operating principles of a chainsaw. He attempts to rev it up, with no apparent effect (his safety brake is clicked forward, of course!). Upon realizing this, he clicks back his brake, then proceeds to risk amputation of his left hand by holding the chainsaw by the top of the brake itself, and not the chainsaw handle!

If this abjectly pathetic example of humour is any indication of the quality of discourse or argument put forth by this twit, sorry, but I have to pass. 

Cottage Micro Woodlot Management - Part One

This is a view looking up the driveway from the cottage, with a small stand of Red Pines pictured. There are about forty pines in this small triangular area, which measures roughly 60' (along the left) by 40' (back) by 80' (curved along the driveway), each tree spaced about four feet from every other.

The pines are not quite twenty-five years of age, standing between 18' and 24' tall, and if you look carefully, the inner trees are experiencing a lot of die-off in the understory branches.

My plan is to selectively thin out the red pines by removing about two of every three or so, while also removing the dead understory branches for aesthetics (these would fall off eventually anyway). Then I plan to plant one new tree for every two pines removed, selected from local native species.

As such, I have just started the work, removing six trees, mostly to open up the row beside the driveway, as well as one each in the left hand row (south facing, left side of the photo) and one in the middle. The ones selected to remain have all had their dead branches removed. Further back, the trees have yet to be thinned, but over this summer and next I will work my way in.

Already I have relocated two Eastern Red cedars, a Balsam Fir, and a White Pine, which are all visible in the photograph. With the pines removed, more light will pass through the canopy, and with added room, these smaller fill in trees should begin to climb quickly skyward!

The two other 'saplings' are our kids, Rudi on the bike, and Alexander exploring in his newly discovered sandals!

Arlo And Janis On Old Chinese Proverbs

So find some time soon and plant a tree. Then in twenty years, with the tree approaching maturity, you can look to a friend and say "The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago... So that's what I did."

Tall Trees Start As Not So Tall Trees

I had a location in the backyard that was looking for a tree, so Katherine found this 'weed' located along the fence we share with our neighbor. As it seemed healthy, and was in the wrong location, I decided to move it. I will identify it one day, and from there determine whether it stays here, or is relocated to a better site.

Why Farmers Die Using Chainsaws

My next door neighbor got a farmer buddy of his to remove a maple in his backyard yesterday morning. I was just heading off to work when I noticed, and nearly spit out my coffee in shock as I watched him work. I decided to snap a couple of pics before heading out. This guy could pretty much write a book on unsafe felling practices, see if you can spot the (at least!) half dozen or so safety issues that are hastening this guys death! I asked him why he didn't bother notching the tree, and he told me if he did that, he would have no idea where it might fall, and he didn't want it falling in my yard! I actually didn't get the impression he even knew what a notch was - simply, utterly, amazing; I am at a complete loss!

Starting Anew

About a year ago a portion of the lakefront property next to ours was cleared by the property owner. In doing so, however, his contractor 'mistakenly' cleared much of a half acre triangle of crown land that seperates our properties and runs from the lakefront back to the old Ottawa Arnprior and Parry Sound railway line. Not that I am defending a contractor that has problems determining where property lines are located, but most of the trees on the crown land and the neighbors lakefront were scruffy poplar and birch, and I didn't have a huge issue with the clearing, as it now gives me a perfectly valid reason to go onto the crown land and plant whatever I like, to hopefully grow into a curtain blocking the view of the rather ghastly clearing 'next door'. I have decided on a selection of specimen trees , including assorted conifers, hardwoods, and fast growing hardwoods to fill in the area, which I will actively 'manage'. Here are two of the original succesful additions, a Balsam Fir now almost 4' tall, and a white pine approaching 6', both being just over ten years of age now.

The Hunt For Gollum

Watch this absolutely phenomenal piece of cinematography, and you, like me, will be blown away! It tells a simple yet interesting tale of a ranger (Aragorn) and a wizard (Gandalf) and their search for a wretched, pathetic little creature named Gollum.


But the most impressive feature are the trees and forests found in this stunning short film. There are sweeping aerial shots of wide expanses of woodland, beautiful scenes of the barren understory of ancient pine, oak, and cedar forests, close up and detail shots of mossy tree trunks and gnarled old trees, and scenes of airy green glades surrounded by tall specimen trees, the list is virtually endless!


Oh, and also some spectacular sword battles with nasty orcs, under the deepening shadow of an old forest, of course! Click the box with four diagonal arrows to view in full screen, recommended.

How Not To Fell A Tree

On taking a close look at the video in full screen, it appears the cutter may have a properly oriented notch that should direct the tree away from the house, but if it is a notch, it is very small, less than 1/10 of the trunk diameter. Also, when the tree falls, a noticable 'barber chair' is left standing on the back side of the tree as viewed from the camera, which indicates that the backcut was not completed properly. Fortunately no one was killed, but that is an expensive way to do unnecessary home renovations!

Just so we're perfectly clear, this is NOT an example of my work!

Tools Of The Trade

I acquired a few chainsaws in a complicated deal a while back, so now my stable is complete. Clockwise from top are the Husqvarna 335XPR arborist saw, a flyweight little ripper with tons of power for limbing and working in trees. Next is a big Stihl 041 that now has a happy home with my sister's contractor Mark near Ottawa. Then comes the big Husqvarna 385XP professional forestry saw. Depending on where I am with it, it generally is the largest capacity saw for at least 20 miles in any direction - 85cc, with 6.5hp of brute cutting power. And last is my trusty Husqvarna 353, a top quality mid-size saw, which has seen a lot of work in its life.

Of Notches and Backcuts

These two shots are a typical example of my work. First photo is the trunk with completed notch and backcut. A proper notch should ideally be one-quarter the thickness of the tree, but can range anywhere from 1/8 to 1/3 of the trunk diameter. This one looks to be about 1/3. Backcuts should always be above the top of the notch, a minimum of 1/2" up to about 2" over the notch cut. In this case my backcut was closer to 2" over the top of the notch, perhaps even higher.

The second photo shows the tree after limbing, before bucking. I was aiming to where I was standing taking an earlier photo of the tree, which was between the little yellow flower fan and the orange husky chainsaw case. Ummm, you be the judge of my accuracy! The tree was bucked into two logs, the main trunk about 22' long and the upper about 10' long, both which will be used in my treehouse.

A count of the annual growth rings put this tree at between 57 and 61 years of age. For some reason I thought that these trees were quite a bit older, perhaps planted in the 'twenties or 'thirties, but the rings don't lie, they began growing around the very late 1940's. I am wondering if these trees started from cones that fell from existing trees that had eventually been removed, or if the property was bare of trees when they first took hold, or were planted.

And Then There Were Three (Prologue)

The number four tree slated for removal, notice the sparse nature of this tree compared to number three to the immediate left.




The landing zone. I have to fell this tree directly toward where I am standing with the camera. my estimate is it should just reach the edge of the concrete paver patio.




Succesful felling. The tree dropped exactly where I wanted it to.

Relocation, Relocation, Relocation (Part 1)

Just as in real estate, one could say the three most important rules of taking care of trees is location, location, location. A new tree could have everything going for it, but if the location is unsuitable or poor, you might as well chop it down in twenty years or so.

Such is the case of the 'little' Blue Spruce located on our front lawn. As can be seen in the photographs, it stands on the north side of and directly behind a row of six large Norway Spruce which block most of its direct sunlight. Compared to other Blue Spruce in the area, it is appears very sparse, thin and lethargic. So the options are A) let it continue growing into an ugly tree, B) fell it and remove it, or C) move it to a more suitable location.

As I am always up for a challenge, I chose option C. My preferred method will be hand digging and trenching, and if all goes well, excavation and removal by hand. This however is the largest single tree relocation I have ever attempted, the tree is well over twenty foot tall, with a six inch diameter trunk. Stay tuned for more!

And Then There Were Three

Here is a recent photograph of three beautiful White Spruce located along the East side of our property toward the rear of the lot. Each tree is sixty years old, and they are roughly 55 to 60 foot tall.
Probably the compelling reason that the three of them look so good together is the fact that I have recently culled one, whose trunk is evidenced in the extreme bottom right corner of the photograph. Yes, I cut down trees. Number four was not quite as tall as these three, and rather spindly, with none of the sweeping branches of number three that you see in the photo. It looked rather ugly, and besides, I needed both a twenty foot heavy log, as well as a 10 footer for the treehouse. But bear in mind I am not entirely evil, as I have a plan, which will see a very nice tree that is situated very poorly to a much better location roughly 5 to 10 feet to the right of the recently felled number four.

Tales of Tall Trees

I love trees. Well that is really an understatement. I really love trees, now to the point of being a healthy kind of addiction. I don't really know when my love of trees began, but probably had something to do with a few years growing up in West Africa in the midst of an old rubber tree plantation, and always have the fortune of living in a neighborhood with plenty of trees around. My addiction has been fueled by a fair number of things, including the release of a truly magnificent book entitled Meetings with Remarkable Trees by Thomas Pakenham, our purchase of a wonderful older home with a very nice collection of trees including Norway Spruce, White Spruce, Birch, Ash, and Black Walnut on the property, as well as my growing interest in treehouses, including beginning the construction of one myself.

This blog will be a diary of sorts, covering anything and everything I do or see that is related to trees. Please note that my love of trees is sane and rational, which means I am actively involved in management of trees on property I own, be it planting, relocating, or even removal. I own a chainsaw, and I am not afraid to use it. I also do some rather unconventional things, like hand dig and relocate mature trees rather than cut them down. I have opinions as to how and why I do things with the trees I care for, based on logic, science, anecdote, and experience.