City arborist Jeff Tarling examines a century-old red maple tree for possible removal or selective cutting. Press Herald Source Editor Peggy Grodinsky had to make a heart-wrenching decision about whether to remove the tree that sheltered her Portland home.
The tree, front right, in a historic photo taken for the 1924 Portland city tax records. Courtesy City of Portland
Kevin Bachelor of For-Tay Landscaping removes a section of a red maple tree at Grodinsky's home on Jan. 12. Staff photo by Derek Davis
Grodinsky watches as workers prepare to cut down her beloved tree. Staff photo by Derek Davis
Bachelor works on removing a section of the red maple that comforted Grodinsky in the spring with its crimson buds and in the summer with broad leaves that cooled her home. Staff photo by Derek Davis
Tarling examines the tree. The arborist speculates that the family who lived in the Portland house in the early 1900s longed for some shade. Staff photo by Ben McCanna
Tarling offered Grodinsky some advice about tracking down someone in his line of work. "It's like going to a doctor," he said. "Some think you're fine. Others think you need your knee replaced." Staff photo by Ben McCanna
Tarling examines the fall coloration of a red maple leaf from the tree. There are two factors to keep in mind when deciding a tree's fate, he says: its health, and what lies in its path if it comes down. Staff photo by Ben McCanna
Tarling talks with Grodinsky about her beloved tree. "I'm not sure there is ever an easy time to let things go," he says.
Branches on the ground as workers remove the red maple tree. Grodinsky wondered whether the other maples on her one-block, dead-end street would mourn her tree. Staff photo by Derek Davis
Wood chips fly into the bed of a truck as workers remove the maple. The red maple took 100 years to grow, and its life concluded with a four-hour demolition. Staff photo by Derek Davis
Bark peels away from the tree. Grodinsky says she is progressing through the stages of grief, caught somewhere between guilt and depression. Staff photo by Derek Davis
Bachelor removes a section of the tree. On Jan. 11, hours before the demolition, Grodinsky hugged its trunk and said goodbye. Staff photo by Derek Davis
Grodinsky talks to workers as they prepare to remove the tree. She has only lived in her Portland home for a couple of years, but the tree stood for a century. Staff photo by Derek Davis
Grodinsky prepares to part with her red maple tree, a friend who won't be forgotten.
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