If The Tree In My Backyard Falls Does It Make a Sound?

So we have two massive oak trees in our backyard. Apparently there used to be three because we have a large treestump hidden among a flower bed in the middle of our yard. One of our oak trees has a serious list to it, and not in a good direction. It is currently listing towards the house of a backyard neighbor I don’t know, and don’t wish to know. However when brutal storms go through our area I’m positive that we’ll get to know that neighbor soon because the oak tree will split in half and promptly destroy their yard and back half of their house.

Our neighbors have an annoying tree as well, but in their front side yard that they share with another neighbor. Today they are going halfsies on having that tree removed to get rid of the constant damage they both suffer to their roofs and cars by falling acorns (think TENS OF THOUSANDS of acorns). They are also having a tree in their backyard removed. Now, my other neighbor (Don, the pop-in neighbor), has a solar-powered pool and had asked early this summer if he could hire someone to cut a couple branches off our listing oak tree to help his pool gain some heat.

I said, “Yeah, go for it. I hate that tree anyway.”

Denis practically wrapped his arms around the tree and became a granola-crunching hippie. “Don’t cut the tree!”

The subject wasn’t brought up again until our other neighbor, Art, let folks know he was cutting down his tree today. So last night Don and I talked about it again and agreed to split the cost of cutting down the tree. He said he would try and get them down to $600 for the job to cut it down and leave it for firewood (it’s more if they cart it away). He’d get his sunlight and I’d get a couple of cords of wood out of it. I told him to go for it but only if he can get it for $600 or below.

I forgot to tell Denis about this conversation last night, and so this morning as I was getting ready for work I remembered and said, “Oh, I told Don that if he can get the tree guy to agree to $600 to cut down the oak in the back that he had my permission to cut it down for firewood and we’d pay half the cost.”

Denis gave me the stink-eye and said, “Well, I told him that if he could get $200 for the branches he wanted to remove that I’d pay half.”

I said, “Well, I told Don that if it’s MORE than $600 then don’t cut down the whole tree.”

So I’ll be curious to come home tonight and see if I have some woodchopping in my future or if I have to continue to worry about the backyard neighbors and if my insurance will cover the eventual damage that is sure to occur when (not if) that tree falls down.