Witches' Broom

I see these things fairly regularly in our woods--they are called Witches' Broom.  Often on oak or birch trees (we have lots of both), they occur when a mite or rust causes multiple branches to grow from a single spot.  Found this one as I was chipping up trees and decided it should be preserved for a while.

Lotta Chips from the Chipper, Chet!

Branches and debris are always coming down in the woods--it's a rather constant clean-up task.  However, we are still dealing with the aftermath of the ice storm a couple of years ago.  I dealt with the downed trees close to the house.  But there is a section of our woods that was decimated during the storm with a dozen or so big trees that came down.  An eyesore that probably didn't bother anybody else but me. 

Recently, during the  the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, a large white birch fell into that same mess of trees.  It was quite visible with its bright, white bark which made it an eyesore that everyone could see.  I had to deal with it.

I don't have any "before" pictures, but here is one that shows the various piles of chips produced as I moved from one spot to the other.  Another picture shows the much-improved view (in my eyes, anyway) looking from the house toward the road.

The chipper worked flawlessly--it handles branches up to 4.5 inches.  Anything bigger went into the pile of logs to be split and burned next year.

Finally, Sue (bless her heart) moved the chips to the pathway in front of the house.  Dual purposing at its best!