Palomar Mountain News

Driving through one of our little dirt roads showing property this week, we came to the end a little sooner than planned.  The top of that big fir tree must have snapped off in the last wind storm. See the tall stump on the far left?  Huge. It truly is the biggest fir I have ever seen on the ground.  At least 5 feet across.

I have a little story for you.  Maybe a decade ago I got a call from a family who had just put in a new kitchen.  They invited me to pop by and see it.  When I drove up, I couldn’t help but notice a huge fir above their cabin that looked like it was dressed in fall colors.

During times of drought, firs can die so quickly.  They die from the top down and once they get started, it can happen pretty fast.  I complimented that new kitchen then we talked about the fir.  It is not uncommon for firs to snap off during the storms.  I suggested they have it taken down. About two weeks later, we had a storm and that tree landed right down the middle of the kitchen.  The new cabinets were just fine but the kitchen was suddenly ‘air conditioned’.  So sorry for that family.

You might want to carefully check out your property (and maybe tall neighboring trees, too). This tree had been dead a few years.  In fact, it was marked to come down at one point but then a ribbon is still on that trunk with ‘Do not cut’.  Sometimes people keep trees as wild life trees.  It is totally up to you, but can be wise to put a tree on the ground when convenient for you instead of deal with a surprise someday.

Of course, if you aren’t Paul Bunyon, it can be pretty pricy to have trees removed, but we have good news for you!

The Fire Safe Council has a grant that can pay 50% of the cost! All the info is on the flyer at the top of their webpage:  http://www.mypalomarmountain.com/firesafecouncil

The grant applies to dead or dying trees close to structures.  Be sure to check it out.

Bonnie Phelps