Yesterdeay I snedded up the crown of a fallen oak of 150 years standing. I removed a few limbs with my axe but 90% of it I worked with the chainsaw. Hugely satisfying work none the less. A habitat pile of leafy twigs and branch ends now circles the ground where the canopy lay, left for the creatures of the wood. A modest load of logs for my wood burner In the truck and the tree now tidy so everything that remains is ready for the land owners mill. Tis engaging work, the careful cutting of fibres to release tension and compression from bow and limb mighty enough to swiftly crush a man such as me. How many axemen(persons) would it take I wonder to saw, hew and cleave down an oak into shingles, lathe and firewood by hand? In fact if a weekend only were available how many of us should work the tree? 100 woodsmen maybe? Probably not, but fitting somehow such a number to break down this incredible harvest with only muscles, sweat and steel. One day..whos’s up for it?