BLAM!

The morning begins with a yearly tree trim.

Too many branches means too many leaves, which means clogged gutters next winter. Trimming the overgrown ash quickly turns into a BIG problem.
Rot!

No wonder the woodpeckers loved the housing possibilities.

Just when you're getting the credit cards paid off you need a bigger chainsaw.

Tricky troublesome trunk!

Rotten to the core.



Firewood.

It was so rotten for so long it was starting to grow new trees.

Woodpeckers filled up the rot with acorns, preparing for a future home. We'll leave the 2nd and 3rd rotten ash trees standing for this nesting seaso. By then the woodpecker pair will have time to find someplace new.

Somewhere dead, perfect for a great nesting hole.
..........