Tree falls on house

[user 122190]

We had a freak storm came thru yesterday, and a micro-burst of wind from an unusual direction toppled the pine on top of this house. This morning the owner and 4 neighbors came together and pulled the tree off the roof. Tractor, cable, snatch block and my Toyota pulled the tree off the house, and avoided any further damage. Amazingly the only damage we can see is to the roof’s ridge cap, that got a bit of a dent. All in all a fortunate outcome.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Probably lucky it was a "controlled" fall and not a trunk snap- the weight and momentum were somewhat controlled but the rootstock still being attached to the ground.
Might make the homeowner think about some of the other close proximity trees and their fall zones.
You might get to do some real falling to help his anxiety.

 

[Mad Professor]

Glad you got a chance to be a good human being and help out.

Looks like new construction put in among existing woods, without concern for consequences of trees affected and left standing. Good thing it was only a "pecker pole", and only the top hit.

 

[user 122190]

Probably lucky it was a "controlled" fall and not a trunk snap- the weight and momentum were somewhat controlled but the rootstock still being attached to the ground.
Might make the homeowner think about some of the other close proximity trees and their fall zones.
You might get to do some real falling to help his anxiety.

I dropped an even larger tree at nearly the same location a couple of years ago. That tree, had it not been removed, would have collapsed the house.

 

[tJKrider]

I dropped an even larger tree at nearly the same location a couple of years ago. That tree, had it not been removed, would have collapsed the house.

Wow, glad that worked out the way it did. There are a few others in that pic that seem like they could be removed near the house. Always hard to tell from a static pic though.

 

[user 122190]

Wow, glad that worked out the way it did. There are a few others in that pic that seem like they could be removed near the house. Always hard to tell from a static pic though.

The trees are attractive and provide shade that makes a huge difference when it gets hot. I've got lots of trees that could come down, but they are going to stay.

 

[JRM]

Probably lucky it was a "controlled" fall and not a trunk snap- the weight and momentum were somewhat controlled but the rootstock still being attached to the ground.
Might make the homeowner think about some of the other close proximity trees and their fall zones.
You might get to do some real falling to help his anxiety.

Agreed. A true micro burst don't pull random trees over from the root stump. It takes everything out, snaps trees, pushes homes off foundations, etc. Major damage.

This was a storm finding the weakest link. Next time could be worse.

 

[PV Hiker]

@MontanaResident
How long has that house been there? Looks pretty new. Was the lot cleared of trees?

You'll get trees that grow in groups that rely on each other for support from the wind. Being in a group they don't get the root system for wind as they grow. This tree being on the edge and maybe there were some trees on the side it fell to that were removed.

If somebody was inside it must have been a pretty good fright.

Just a thought.

 

[user 122190]

@MontanaResident
How long has that house been there? Looks pretty new. Was the lot cleared of trees?

You'll get trees that grow in groups that rely on each other for support from the wind. Being in a group they don't get the root system for wind as they grow. This tree being on the edge and maybe there were some trees on the side it fell to that were removed.

If somebody was inside it must have been a pretty good fright.

Just a thought.

It is new. Maybe 3 years old. I think the driveway was there, but some clearing did happen where the house was built. Its a small community, and we are very protected from strong winds being in a deep valley. But still we do lose trees due to wind. I had a large one fall 2 winter ago and it fell towards the cabin. Luckily it was just a wee bit short to reach the cabin, in part cause it fell on my quite high firewood stack.

Yeah the owner was startled and nearby others were also alarmed as it made a large sound.

 

[PV Hiker]

Thanks for the follow-up.
At least your tree you did not have to move it far to the wood stack.