From storm to firewood

Tropical storms aren't all bad when not too destructive.  Last week's wind and rain weren't that fierce, but there was enough of a wallop to break a red maple.  No surprise that the light species already exhibiting some dieback would break.  The crown ended up in the trail between Pine Cut Curve and the favorite raspberry patch.  After the top got cut out of the trail this morning, additional work dropped the 25 feet still standing.  Further processing led to 16 pieces of 22 inches, which will make their way up the hill over the next few days.  Splitting and cutting then remains for each piece after the trek home.

Here's the fallen crown prior to cleanup, with the break visible on the tree in the middle background (sorry for slightly blurry photo).

The next picture shows most of the 22" pieces after temporary stacking in the trail.  The small saw did all the work.

The doomed tree's stump is visible on the lower right of the last picture.  Birches that previously missed out on sun because of the red maple's trunk and crown now have a wide open spot to grow faster and healthier.