With our three summer 2008 projects nearly complete - the last one, the pool, is at 90% or so - we are looking at some final activities to complete the year. Last week, Mary spent some time indoors on the painting, and while she was out she found a guy who can come out and take down some trees.
The main target is this ailanthus - or as we called it when we lived in the city - weed tree. It is an ivasive species, native to Asia, that looks like sumac or black walnut. It is a fast grower and you see it a lot in city parks, but I've seen it in groves on the medians of I-66. There are several of them in the Hawksbill Pines neighborhood.
The tree is on the hillside between the pool and Beaver Creek below. Here is a photo of some of its offspring, which are destined to be bush-hogged out during the week. We are going to try and reclaim this bed, which is directly below the pool, with mountain laurels or something more native.
Other trees are coming down too. There is a cherry that overhangs the pool and has steadily been dropping leaves already...gone! There is also a poorly sited magnolia...unfortunately, it has to go too. The dead trees in the back around the garage - gone!
In a coming season, we'll probably bring this guy back to take down some of the dying pines, which are succombing to bark beetles.
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