One of the locations that provided logs last month was at the home of a couple in the countryside. A single row of oaks marked the boundary on one side of the property and a thin stroke of forest or mature windbreak grew on the border on the opposite side. Most of the oaks seemed to have been quite happy with the lack of attention during the last decade but many of these trees had developed large overhanging branches that needed to be removed so that the neigbouring farmer could drive his tractor under the branches and so that the nearby waterway would not become full of twigs and leaves.
I had made a deal with the owners – pruning in exchange for the logs. Although I am quite at home in a world full of trees, it is much better that someone else climbs in them. A young experienced arborist was hired and he climbed unafraid high into the crown and removed many heavy long branches with his small handy chainsaw. Once on the ground it was easy to see that a large number of these logs had a decidely creative appearance. Twists and turns, forks and bulges… next year a lot of consumenten will have a uniquely shaped piece of edible wood!
Crooked and creative logs
