Kensington: A sugar maple tree that has been monitoring a home in New Hampshire for more than 200 years and was one of the largest of its kind in the United States is coming down due to safety concerns. As a small crowd looked like Monday, grower Micum Davis began pruning the crown of the tree in Kensington with the aim of taking it apart by the end of the day. Since the tree has a crown of 30 meters (30 feet), a diameter of more than 2 meters (2 meters) and is 100 meters long, a crane is needed to pull branches away while Davis with a cut off chainsaw. In the background a woodcutter is crying.
The tree has received much praise over the years. It is recognized by the New Hampshire Big Tree Program and appears in the National Register of Champion Trees. It is considered the second largest sugar maple after one in Virginia, according to Rose Tileson, the manager of American Forests’ National Champion Trees program.
Janet Buxton, whose family has owned property where the tree stands since 1954, proudly displayed a certificate she received to name its size. “It was our guardian. I do not know what to say. We grew up with it. It was special for the whole family, ”Buxton sat at her kitchen table. “We are all sad to see how it goes, but we have thoroughly enjoyed it for the 67 years we have been here.”
The maple that was cut down has survived many storms over the years and provides a place for birds, including a whip-arm will whose calls could be heard many nights and a recent owl family that made a home in the trunk . Buxton says squirrels used the tree to get to the family attic. But the recent storms with strong winds have proved too much. Cracks appeared in the trunk and it became clear that the tree had become a safety hazard, with the possibility that branches could fall on the house. There was also widespread rot in the tree and Braxton heard the tree crack.
Source: Telangana Today