Oak Removal

Ron, from Wolfe Tree Services, cuts part of the massive base of the tree amid the remains of the oak.

Today, we said goodbye to a very large oak tree.  In the summer of 2004, a very powerful lightning strike occurred on the right side of 17 fairway, near 18 tee.  The strike ended up travelling through the defunct metal irrigation pipes, blew a nice-sized hole in the ground, caused an irrigation leak where the old metal pipes met a section of the modern plastic pipes, blew doors off of the nearby irrigation satellites, and sent a surge of electricity all the way back to our shop.  And, at the heart of the strike was the oak tree that was removed today.  For a number of years, the tree showed minimal damage and was holding up quite nicely.  However, over the past two years, the tree began to produce more and more dead wood, and it had become an imminent safety hazard.  Despite our occassional disdain for trees, we're never happy to see one of the stately oaks that populates the property removed.  It's safe to say that we'll be counting its rings.