I have several small areas old growth SYP trees on my land. Two trees were prime candidates to be the mast for the Pride of Baltimore II. A topsail schooner built in the 1980's to replace the first ship which sank in 1986. The criteria for the mast was clear of limbs for the first 60' and needed to square about 24-32 inches at that point. Big tree. It was a long time ago and my best trees were marginal they said. I think the fact I was not going to give them to them and cutting them would best be done with a helicopter for removal had a lot to do with their being passed over. You can not cut a few trees, in the middle of the woods and drag them out when they are the biggest part of 100 plus feet. Same woods produced pilings for the 1939 Worlds Fair. Those were cut 60-75' long and trucked up at night time by my grandfather. I guess those were the little bothers of these bigger, older monsters.
Funny how attached I have become to those old trees. From a money standpoint cutting them would be easy but there are so few of them left anymore. Even the bark looks different. Big blocks like your hand, worn smooth with time, almost like the tree is shingled in bark. I just let them keep growing and will try to manage the trees around them to protect them. But I know all trees die in the end. These I can enjoy and let live for now but I worry about lightening, hurricanes and the damn borer getting into them.
