Save the Birch!

Last week Sioux Falls was devastated with an ice/snow storm. Not totally unusual for this part of the country in April, but a surprise, nonetheless. Rain, then snow had been forecasted for the area. The worst of it came on Tuesday morning with ice, 1+ inch of it. Our trees began to bow with the weight of the ice, we lost power for a couple of hours, but were able to go on with our day, mostly uninterrupted. The snow began on Wednesday afternoon. We ended up with 6 inches by Thursday morning. Needless to say, the trees that were already struggling from the weight of the ice were really suffering. My neighborhood in particular was hit hard. We have amazing old trees that were snapped in half. There were entire trees, and thousands of branches down. The sound of the limbs cracking, then crashing to the ground is a sound I wont soon forget. It is really quite depressing.

Our trees actually tolerated the storm quite well. We lost a few branches, but I think we will be able to keep all of the trees. Our Birch Tree in particular caused quite the ruckus. It is a gorgeous old tree that has four large limbs, all of which were bowed way down from the weight of the ice and snow. Every night before bed I would look out the window and wonder if it would make it through what that night would bring. Each morning, there it leaned, definitely sore from the weight of it all, but still intact. The northern most limb had completely blocked our next door neighbor's driveway (blocking her car in in the process).  Initially it was not an issue as the city was shut down so she didn't need to get anywhere, but by the time Thursday rolled around, she wanted to get out. Due to the severity of the storm, there was literally no way I could get anyone over here to take care of it, and the idea of having to chop it down made me cringe. After talking to several people with tree knowledge, I was confident that it would bounce back once the ice had melted, it was just going to be a matter of time.

Dave came home from work on Thursday afternoon and upon his arrival, I told him we needed to come up with a solution for the tree, and chopping it down was not an option. Desperate, he hooked up the hose to a hot water spigot in our basement and spent the next 5 hours melting the ice off the tree.  The hot water didn't last as long as we had needed it, but he was patient and very determined. It was a cold, wet and messy job, three days later, he regained feeling in his hands and feet.

By the following day, the tree had lifted significantly, enough for our neighbor to get out. It was such a relief. After driving around the neighborhood and seeing the thousands of trees and branches down, I felt so proud of Dave for saving our Birch. One less tree to line the boulevard, waiting to be turned into sawdust. I will forever feel a sense of pride when I look at that tree.

The City is doing a remarkable job, the branches were removed from our street today. Although the neighborhood is dirty, we are recovering. It will take years to completely recover from the loss of the trees and branches, but the leaves budding in the next few weeks will definitely help the process.

The is 6th Ave facing North. Im standing in the middle of the street. 

This is the front of my house from the street. 

The leaning Birch Tree (over the neighbor's driveway).

Saving the Birch! 

The following morning, she is making her way back to normal.