This is the view looking up into the birch trees in our yard, one of which snapped in Sunday's wind storm. There are three birches (they always seem to be planted in threes). We know they're more than twenty years old. We first saw the house eighteen years ago and the trees were pretty mature then. They're probably closer to thirty years old, likely more.
We have a photo of the house taken before the guy who had it built died (sometime around 2000, his widow sold us the house in 2003). The photo isn't dated, but he's in it, and the birch trees are there and pretty big. The house was built in the late 1960s. All this is to say that these birch trees have lived their lives and are now dying. We have to face the fact that they should all come down in the coming year.
While I don't actually know, I thought birches could live to be quite old. Often here they die during drought times.
ReplyDeleteWe had a cluster of birch trees in our yard when I was a kid. Newly planted in 1956, they apparently died in the 90s. At that time I learned that the average good lifespan of a birch is 40 to 50 years. So yours clearly have lived a long life.
ReplyDeletewill you get the wood?
ReplyDeleteI remember birch logs having a marvelous fire/smell to them.
Sad that so many trees on your property have died. Will you plant any new trees? Birches are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI was on the verge of entering my comment, but then noticed it was really a repeat of this.
DeleteYes Ur-spo, birch logs are highly desired for delightful placement inside fireplaces that are "just for looks"! Our friends in Illinois offered for her Mother who was coming down for a visit to bring some birch logs which we placed in our "just for look" master bedroom's fireplace! They looked terrific! We only lived there for 3 years, I never intended it to just be for looks, but we had never used it while we lived there.
ReplyDeleteandrew, we're experiencing drought conditions in the summers now and that seems to be having an effect.
ReplyDeletemitch, I think so, too.
michael, yes, I plan to save the wood for burning.
bettyann, ellen, we've talked about some new fruit trees, like cherries. We'll see.
mary, ha!