The trees I reclaim and mill aren't just logs to me. They have stories over the decades, or centuries, when they lived.
Here are a few stories about the trees I have reclaimed and milled over the last few years.
And for those trees whose story I don't know, I try to say what I know - either where it lived, or how I got ahold of it.
May 28, 2023
As bitter sweet as it gets: the Westenfield post oak. Probably my second favorite tree 🥲
It shouldn’t be a surprise that I love trees- I always have, long before I ever imagined getting into producing lumber.
For the last five years my wife and I have taken our dog, Yogi, to our local park daily. Like any public park, there are lots of trees, native and planted. Like any human, I have my favorites. At the top of that list was an old post oak that likely predates the park. Historically, the tree was covered with leaves in my favorite color - a luscious light green most commonly seen on young leaves at the start of spring. Except this tree kept the same almost yellow-green color year round.
Shady spots became more sparse over the last few years, as branches kept dying off. And after the freeze this year, only part of two branches had new leaves. The last picture I have of her standing was about a week before the city removed her. I saw the writing on the wall.
I got to the city wood reclamation early last week just so I could try and get first dibs on this tree. It’s the first tree I loved standing and have the opportunity to mill. Despite some iron staining from some 80 year old embedded metal, there was no question in my mind that I would take this tree and mill it. Too much history.
Sad it died. Grateful for the memories and the opportunity to preserve some of its long standing legacy. Enjoy the pics and videos, many featuring Yogi, that show her over many years.
November 15, 2022
The craziest and most unique tree I’ve ever had milled. 48” at its widest, 10’, milled at 12/4 (3”). Reclaimed from the city of Austin. It lived in Zilker park very close to Barton springs. INCREDIBLE!!
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Amazing and totally unique spalting. Now stop reading and just look at it’s gorgeousness.
August 26, 2022
This was the first time I got the courage to talk to a homeowner about a tree. I didn’t talk to them because I was outgoing or confident #anxiousaf - I did it because I was livid when I saw what was happening as this huge post oak was being cut down piece by piece (first pic 😡🤬).
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I had walked by this dying tree for weeks, never having the courage to knock on the homeowners door and ask what they planned to do with the tree. One evening, I saw a tree crew had removed the canopy and was cutting the tree down, one tiny piece at a time (pic 2). Motivated by the urgency, I approached the crew and asked what they would do with the trunk (16’ tall and 30” dbh). They said they would keep cutting it down piecewise, haul them off, and burn them- the unfortunate yet typical fate for too many urban trees. I offered to help them out and haul the trunk away free of charge if they felled the straight trunk in bigger sections. They said no: they were worried about it hitting the house. But even I knew it wouldn’t be hard to fell the trunk into the driveway, especially for a professional tree crew, so I was pissed.
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I got the courage to approach the homeowner. She told me if by the following morning I could find a legit, insured tree crew who could fell it within the week, she’d replace the current crew and let me take it. I reached out to a few local companies I had worked with, but everyone was booked.
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So I did what any desperate millennial would do: slid into the DMs of a high school friend I hadn’t talked to in 10 years 🤷🏼♂️
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I saw on insta my old friend Preston started a tree service company @dannatreeservice, so I slid into his DMs and asked if he could help me out on short notice. Like old friends often do, he came through when I needed help. He felled the slight back leaning post oak exactly where I wanted it, making it look easy the whole time. After reconnecting with him for that job, we’ve continued to work together to repurpose urban trees.
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Moral of the story: Slide into those DMs when you’re desperate #goodrelationshipadvice #generalizable #definitely #doctoradvice
August 18, 2022
A humbling experience. I came into this job overconfident and under prepared. I gave the tree crew a chain to lay out where the tree would be felled. I thought I would back in, hook up, load, and get out with time to spare before my flight later that afternoon. Not the case.
When she was felled, she left a big impression in the loose, dry soil; the base of the trunk was nestled in the impression she made. So when I started lifting her, the Tahoe and trailer were dragged backwards. All of my methods for chocking tires were ineffective on the loose dirt. Of course I tried to drag it with the Tahoe too. Nope.
As many others do, I installed jack stands on the rear of the trailer to offload weight from the rear of the trailer as the log arch lifts. During the lift, the feet of the jack stands were driven into the loose ground by the weight of the partially lifted trunk. And because the Tahoe and trailer were easier to move, the jack stands started twisting on the trailer. In the failed Timelapse, you can see me cranking them to try and avoid them from twisting too far as I was dragged.
The 104°F heat and sun were brutal. I didn’t bring water as I thought it would be fast. Dumbest move of the day. I was overly confident in my winch and my perceived abilities, so I didn’t initially use a snatch block (a heavy-duty pulley that doubles the lifting capacity of a winch, reduces how hard the winch works, and helps prevent overheating). Well, of course my winch overheats and I get super anxious as the tree is partially lifted and not responsive. I had never thought about or made any contingency plans. Idiot.
I stop the time lapse, cause that don’t matter if I can’t get the tree. I humbly asked the crew to cut 2’ off the anchored end. At 42” in diameter, those two feet shaved off some 1,200 lbs. Lightened and now aided by a snatch block, I was able to get it on and loaded. I didn’t film or take pictures because I was only focused on getting it on and out of there. And honestly, I was embarrassed. A friendly neighbor filmed part of the load, and I finally got her on: 8’ long, 40-48” in diameter.
Made a lot of mistakes. Learned a lot.
July 28, 2022
Reclaimed from Lions Municipal Golf Course (Muny), this was first red oak I ever picked up. A beautiful tree with so many funky crotches that didn’t disappoint once milled (12/4; 3" thick slabs). The freeze last February hit red oaks particularly hard, including this gorgeous old tree. The Muny red oak is currently drying ontop of the Zilker park pecan, where it’ll air dry for a few years before going into the kiln.
I want to talk about where this tree came from: Muny. While I’m not a golfer, I love what Muny provides Austin: an expansive green space in central Austin with hundreds of heritage trees and affordable, public golf access for all. Muny is a civil rights landmark: it was the first public golf course in the south to integrate and provide a place where everyone could golf. Currently Muny is leased from the University of Texas system. I join with tens of thousands of others when I say that I hope the UT system allows Muny to be the permanent use for this wonderful space.
July 14, 2022
This pecan was first tree I reclaimed from the city: roughly 32” in diameter, just under 10’ long, and super straight with no visible twisting. The tree was deemed a hazard by the city after multiple large limb falls at a well known park: Zilker park. Pecans are known for large limb falls due to the huge weight fluctuations as new leaves and nuts (technically drupes) emerge following the end of winter. Sad it came down, but grateful for the chance to work with this magnificent tree.
This tree is too big for my mill, so I had it milled by another locak mill - 10 slabs milled at 12/4 (3” thick). This tree will air dry for a few years before getting kiln dried.