Pasadena

The risky Redwood's return

A concerned homeowner asked Andre for an assessment of her towering 70-foot Coastal Redwood tree. The source of her unease was clearly evident upon our arrival - This giant sentinel was dying. With no possible course of treatment to heal this once magnificent tree the homeowner’s only option was removal.

Background

It was a very scary situation to have a Redwood tree of that size unstable and unsafe with families, children and property at such grave risk. It was also during a season of heavy inclement weather which made the situation all the more stressful for homeowners and neighbors. Since the tree was almost completely dead, a crane was necessary to safely remove it.The only practical location for crane set-up was the street which was about 180feet away from the tree. A 250-ton crane was needed to do this safely and that meant the street would have to be closed to perform the work. In addition, city traffic permits were required with engineered plans.

Strategic Plan

We worked very quickly to get the necessary city permits in place. A professional traffic management firm was hired to implement control measures that day. We coordinated crane arrival times, along with with other heavy equipment necessary to perform this massive removal. Arbor Care teams and managers prepped for the day which included how they would creatively and safely remove the tree in sections with rigging straps provided by the crane company to preserve large sections of wood from this mature tree. Angel City Lumber was contacted to be on hand to harvest the lumber for the tree’s next life.

Results

This mammoth tree was removed safely and no human injury or property damage was caused. How can we honor such a masterpiece of nature? Large log sections were successfully harvested on site and transported to a place where passionate tree people will ensure its legacy lives on. Perhaps it will be something stylish and useful like a live edge conference table at a bright-eyed LA start up where someone fresh 20 something will lean over to his team and say “let’s risk it.” Maybe something will be born there that will last as long as the tree. A story rich with meaning, that will live on, admired, and appreciated. It’s kind of a cool thing, and frankly, we love being a part of it.