A moment of real drama. A top section of the tree trunk has been cut and is now falling in the right direction.The power saw operator seems to have achieved this effortlessly.
Having trimmed the lower and middle branches, the power saw operator is now headed upward to cut and lower the top limbs to the ground by the ropes.
The last branch is now trimmed and headed earthward, leaving the power saw operator alone with just the trunk of the tree which must, itself, be taken down.
The precision of a tree surgeon
The scene was dramatic. High above the house, a man with power saw in hand was in the top of a tree cutting off each limb by limb.
The power-saw operator would lower each limb section by rope to men on the ground who cut it apart to put into trailers for hauling away.
The action was skilled. How could the saw man stay up there so securely, pulling on the cord to start and stop the chain saw so often? How could he manhandle tie the ropes so quickly and well?
Every now and then, the action up in the tree top would pause and the scene would quieten. The man in the tree would talk to those on the ground. The conversations seemed very frank and very clear. Now and then, the rope would tighten or be loose in the tree branch area. Then, the hand saw would roar on and cutting begin. Soon the limb would fall outward and down, hanging by the rope as well as pulling for a moment on the tree trunk, causing it to sway. The motion didn’t seem to bother the trimming man at all. He just rode out the swing. Then it was quiet again while the tree trimming man moved up into the remaining branch area, to a new position, maybe around the tree trunk and to the other side. Once the tree was denuded of its limbs, the man with the saw started back down the trunk, but at every several feet he would slice the trunk portion above him and push it off to fall the long distance to the ground. This taking down of a tall tree was being done by the A. Gonzalez Landscaping and Tree Service Company on residential property on Forest Lane in Atlanta recently. It was a fine moment in the sky. This photographer just sat down in the grass and pretended to be at a picnic to watch the drama high above. The notion of man, machine and a tall tree came together to form a symbolic story about nature. The tree was years old, strong and almost permanent. But it came down in a couple of hours. The residence beneath was now safe from bad weather which might topple it. The workmen on ground and aloft made it look easy - at least well rehearsed. It was drama as good as a circus aerial act.