Timberrrrrr!

Robin and I were outside last night when this tree in a neighbor's yard decided to come down with a thunderous crash. It didn't startle us, even though the crash that followed the first one was so loud it shook the earth. No, we'd been watching this tree since late August when we heard a loud crack and saw the damage. Every morning while having coffee on the patio we'd hear more cracks, some faint, some loud. Within a few weeks, the tree had split in half at least three feet and would have tumbled down if not for other trees holding the weight. But last night the other trees grew weary and weak under the weight of this larger tree and they all came crashing down.This heavy limb that broke apart is not through doing its damage. It's still pulling away from the tree with constant creaks and groans, and will do further damage if it isn't corrected in time. The neighbors tried to bring in a small crew with chainsaws today, but other neighbors weren't home and the damage involved three other properties besides their own. They needed consent before they could clear this out.
This is the small corner of our yard that is affected. A portion of the tree fell over the fence and is resting in our yard. The fence behind it is swaying and will fall soon enough.
This yard is next to the one whose tree fell. The white crushed metal under the limbs used to be a shed. It was flattened. Other loose limbs are still caught in other, stronger trees and will fall with the first wind. It's a real mess.

So why didn't we warn these neighbors about impending disaster? We don't know them, but that's no excuse. We had a similar problem once with another one of their trees that came through the fence. We called to see how they wanted to handle it. We were told that it would cost $900 to cart away the tree and mend the fence. He said he would split the cost with us. We told him it was his tree. He told us there was no point in one person carrying the whole expense. So, we fixed our own fence and let him worry about the limbs on his side.

When we noticed another one of his trees meeting a similar doom, we just watched and waited. Five weeks later it caused damage in four yards. Extensive damage. Maybe this neighbor is ready to mend fences.