Last August, Hurricane Irene roared through the northeast leaving devastating damage in her wake. Compared to many, our damage was slight, we merely suffered damage to two lovely mature trees, and many garden plants were pummeled to the
ground. Later in the fall our arborist-turned-archaeologist friend Bill help prune the damaged limbs off the lovely old flowering crab. The sugar maple, in worse shape, waited for professional help. The several trunks of the tree had split vertically, and without intervention, the tree was doomed.
Jon McKenney from McKenney Tree and Landscaping came in late October and repaired the maple. While he was here, he told Dan the cable he put in the old tree six years ago to prevent damage probably saved the tree, and our barn, from worse damage.
This time, McKenney drilled two holes completely through the trunks and then put two enormous rods through the tree, effectively bolting it together to prevent additional splitting. The poor tree looks like a maple Frankenstein, and I am glad I wasn’t here to see it done, but the
repair seems to be working. It might just be the best $150 I have ever spent.






















