Is there a name for the effect caused by trees on both sides of a road when their leaves kiss in the middle and create a canopy? My husband loves roads like that, where you drive under the trees.
And until yesterday, we had a kissing canopy of eucalyptus in front of our house. Because we live on a private road, the land on both sides of it is ours. So the kissing trees on both the west and east side of the street are ours. Theses romantic trees stood about seventy feet tall, and were eighty years old.
My husband loved those trees. And, of course, so did I. But in a certain way, they were his trees. Whenever the tree trimmers were doing their tree trimming thing, Howard would be outside screaming instructions to not trim too much, to leave the canopy in place. But yesterday one of our kissing eucalyptus died, and for awhile, the second was at risk as well.
It really doesn’t sound like much of a story. High winds, rain storm, tree fell. But the drama it created in our neighborhood lasted all afternoon and into the evening. Looking though our living room window, Howard actually saw the first tree fall, and gave a shout to me. Looking out from inside the house, we saw some leaves on the road, but it looked like more of a big branch, than the entire tree.
But when we went down to the road, we saw that one tree had fallen into the other. So now there was a tree suspended across the road. We knew we had lost one tree, and the second was certainly in danger of being knocked over with the next gust of wind.
Before we knew it, a fire truck arrived. They took one look at the seventy foot tree hanging above the street, and immediately understood what we didn’t at first. That no one should be driving or walking near them. They parked their fire truck on one side, and marked our property with yellow “do not cross” tape so that we couldn’t leave our driveway, and no one could drive or walk down the street.
Our house is situated at the beginning of a dead-end road with about forty houses. So roughly 120 people where either blocked out of their houses, or blocked into their houses with that tape. The firemen did, however, let people walk around the entire mess by passing through our yard. The firemen used orange cones and and yellow tape to guide our neighbors through our muddy vegetation (don’t think lawn, think wild, thick brush) to get around the danger area.
So the entire afternoon was spent watching the tree, meeting neighbors as they sloshed through our muddy front “walk around,” and waiting for the tree removal experts. Because it was a safety issue, all plans had to be approved by the fire chief. Our gardener arrived and presented a proposal, but the chief thought it was too dangerous.
We called another tree company, and their idea passed muster. Chief had thought a 35-foot lift would be needed, but instead a single guy climbed up the fallen tree like a monkey and went at it with a chain saw, while five guys below supported the tree with ropes that looked like a game of tug of war. Thank goodness no one was hurt.
As they started cutting, the crowd grew bigger. Folks on both side of the yellow tape were coming out to watch the spectacle. And in the end, our second tree was saved, and our first was turned into firewood. We shot some pix and video with our cell phones. Even the firemen were recording the event with their phones. It was just something memorable, in a sad sort of way.
View from the road, before firemen arrive.
View from my daughter’s car as she arrived just moments after tree went down.
Looking at the tree from the other side of the road.
Can you see the man with the yellow vest and chain jaw climbing up the tree? He’s already cut most of the branches off.
Faith says
So strange…We had downed trees and severe flooding in this area just days ago. This morning, I had a nightmare about the worst storm I’d ever seen, complete with fire in the sky, and strangers rapping on my windows, and crawling through, to get away from flying debris. I woke up to birds singing. It’s sunny, and the prettiest day I’ve seen in months. And this is the first article I’ve read on the internet, looking for spelling info for my kids. I love trees. Princeton has a kissing canopy tunnel, Spring is on the way, and I’ll be driving there soon. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your pictures!
Tree Removal Atlanta GA says
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Mala Kumar says
Hi!Barbara. Sorry to read this. I am a real tree lover myself and carry lovely memories from Colombo, Sri Lanka, a paradise on Earth. We too have seen unfortunate things happening due to an old tree fall. Roads would get blocked and traffic diverted with all residents nearby, directly or indirectly getting affected by it. But then as you go higher in life, risk and instability is always at stake.
Your story took me back in my lovely memories. Thanks……
ASAD HUSSAIN says
THAT IS NOT GOOD . BUT IT IS ALL FOR THE BEST. God is greatest He have every power and He loves his creation very much 70 times above from a mother. God bless u
Deborah says
Hi Barbara, Sorry to hear about your trees but so happy to hear that nobody was hurt! Down here in Australia – home of the eucalyptus – it is all too common for gum trees to drop either large limbs or the complete tree and too often when someone is beneath them. We are taught to never camp beneath them for exactly this reason. The only concilation is that they grow quickly if you want to replace it, but be careful not to overwater it when young so that it is forced to put down deep roots so that it stays where it is long into the future!
Harlan Lewin says
One of the prettiest tree canopies I’ve seen was in the town of Haverford, PA, near the college. There was a small road in the back of my friends’ house and along this road were gingko trees (yes, they do smell at certain erotic times of the year), male trees on one side and female trees on the other. It was as if they were facing each other waiting for the first musical notes to start a minuet.
In my travels in the Departments of the Dordogne and the Lot in southern France, I adored traveling down the roads that became tunnels under the leafy limbs of huge chestnut or oak tree4s. There are many such roads in those departments.
Mary Kay says
I grew up on a brick street with a beautiful canopy of trees. One year Dutch Elm disease took most of them out. Fortunately the city maintains the brick street and planted new trees, but it will take years to return to the former beauty.
Sarah says
I am so sorry about the loss of the grand old tree. I, too, am one of those people who adore the magic of a tree tunnel. I have also lost trees in storms and the violent change is especially difficult.
Dena says
I used to live in Ireland, and there was this wonderful “shortcut” I loved to use — well, really it was only a “prettycut” since it wasn’t shorter but was much prettier! The road was only about 1-1/2 car-widths wide, winding, and there was a stretch of about 100 feet that had a tree canopy. Every single time I went under that canopy, I felt as if the world hushed up and I was the only person for miles and miles around. I’m sorry you lost your canopy!
Marlene Crusta says
Sorry to hear about your trees. I live on a street canopied with lovely Norway Maples and love their expression of nature and beauty….would hate to lose one.