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   A giant old oak tree at the edge of the hay field has been dead for several years. Huge branches hung precariously over a large area. Eventually, they would fall into the hay field and surrounding timber. Sunday afternoon, my son, Damon and our friend, Pat decided it was time to start putting up a winter’s supply of firewood. The big old oak tree would be a good place to start. The wood was already dry, and it needed to be removed. They knew it would be a major undertaking just to get it to the ground, but they had a plan.

   They started by removing all the smaller trees and brush around it. Damon called and asked if I could bring the tractor over and move brush and tops out of the way. By the time I got there, they had a couple of pick-up loads of firewood just from clearing the area. I pushed the tops off into a pile to be burned at a later date.

   The process of taking down the dead oak then began. It had more branches on one side than the other. Some of these branches would weigh several thousand pounds. They wanted to drop it more towards the field than into the timber, so a large wedge was cut out in the direction they wanted it to fall. I moved the tractor and the trucks well away from the area. A person can plan where a tree will fall, but I was not willing to bet my tractor on it happening that way. Damon and Pat felt the same about their trucks.  

   Starting opposite of the wedge, Damon began the process of cutting through the massive trunk. Several things can go wrong in a hurry when cutting a dead tree, especially one this size. A branch falling from above can be fatal. The tree shifting at the wrong time can pinch and trap a person’s saw. Cautiously, Pat pounded wedges into the crack Damon had created with the chain saw. These wedges would hopefully prevent the tree from rocking back in the wrong direction.

   After much sawing and pounding of wedges, the tree began to creak. Damon and Pat ran for safety. This is the way a person hopes a tree this size will go down, starting very slowly and picking up speed on the way. With everyone out of the way, the giant old oak crashed to the ground with a thud that shook the area.

   When the dust settled, we went over to admire the work the guys had done and celebrate the fact nobody was killed or injured. Suddenly, Damon said, “There is a flying squirrel!” pointing to a branch nearby. I grabbed my phone and got a picture before he scamped away. About that time, Pat said, “there is another one!” This one jumped to a nearby tree, scurried to the top, and glided off into the timber before I could get another picture. Within seconds, two more ran up the same limb, jumped to the nearby tree scurried to the top as fast as their little legs would carry them and glided away. At least three or four more did the same thing. It is unusual to see a flying squirrel as they are nocturnal animals. I have never seen several like this. I am sure we spoiled their day, but they have plenty of time to find a new home in one of the many dead trees in the area before cold weather sets in. It was good to have the old oak tree down but being able to see such a large and healthy population of the fascinating little creatures was the high point of my day.

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