The Cedar Tree

Twenty Six years ago, we built Coast Mountain Lodge on the shores of Evans Bay on Read Island.  Being fond of trees, I was loathe to cut down two lovely cedar trees just outside the front door. Any of you who have been here will know the trees of which I speak. I had to modify the deck and roof-line of the lodge to accommodate them. When we moved the Steinway grand piano into the lodge 15 years ago, We barely managed to wiggle it between the trees through the door.

Last month, I cut down the last of the two trees. A sad day…it was a bit like losing an old friend but the trees had simply grown too close to the building. Rainfall deflected by the trees had caused a major supporting beam to rot out (which is part of this Winter’s maintenance routine). The time had come to say goodbye. Of course the ensuing 26 years had seen the tree gain weight and girth and, perched in the centre of the deck immediately adjacent to the roof,  became a challenge to remove.

With most of the cedar’s limbs reaching  out over the lodge roof, it naturally wanted to fall in that direction. I had to put cables and mechanical advantage onto it to make sure the tree would fall in the desired direction, away from the lodge. This we did successfully, with me on the chainsaw and Lannie on the Turfer (mechanical pully). The tree fell exactly where we wanted it to (a bit of luck here). I even managed to keep it from smashing the deck which surrounded it.

Now, I am chainsaw milling two lengths of the cedar tree into beams and posts so I can rebuild the rotten structure and enlarge the porch roof: A long slow job. I am reminded why I buy lumber from a local sawmill instead of chainsaw milling it myself, but it seemed a shame to simply cut that beautiful cedar tree up for firewood.