Tree Death
The birch tree in our front yard (they/them) has been dying since we moved into this house. I didn't realize it at first, and by the time we thought to call someone to look at it, it was too late, and may have been too late even when we first moved in.
We've been putting off calling someone to take them down for almost a year, now. Despite the tree's current state, it just seemed too hard, too harsh, to have them cut down. And maybe I still hoped they.d recover somehow.
Tree Death
The wind on Friday broke some of their branches, which fell and knocked out power to the house. Everyone else is fine (electrician bill aside) but it seems like it's definitely time, now.
I feel pretty terrible. They deserved better. It's not even a good place for a birch tree. They should be in woods, near running water. Someone 66 years ago thought their yard needed a big impressive tree, and now this. I wish any number of folks had known better how to handle them, us included.
Tree Death
@indi One of my favorite spots in the old family house in Edmonds was a big old stump from a chestnut tree that had three new chestnut trees growing from its sides. Might be possible to do something like that there?
Tree Death
Erf. That's difficult.
I'm wondering...would it be disrespectful to actually use its logs in a respectful bonfire? It looks like there's /some/ associations with birch and rebirth in paganism too, perhaps save it for a Spring ritual?
If it's allowed to keep the logs, and if they're still in good shape to burn.
Tree Death
I feel like all we can do now is remember them well. We'll be keeping the wood. They deserve better than to be carted off and mulched or something. I'm going to get better at carving, so we'll always have something of them around. And we'll be remembering them at our offering fires for a long time to come, I hope.
And the stump is staying, if I have anything to say about it. One never knows what can regrow from those.
I hope all that is enough. I wish I'd been able to do more.