One of country’s largest sugar maples removed in NH for safety
Micum Davis is suspended in the air while working to cut down a sugar maple tree, in Kensington, N.H., Monday, April 5, 2021. The 100-foot-tall tree, believed planted in the late 1700s, was cut down for safety reasons. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)
Micum Davis stands on a boom lift while working to cut down a sugar maple tree, in Kensington, N.H., Monday, April 5, 2021. The 100-foot-tall tree, believed planted in the late 1700s, was cut down for safety reasons. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)
Modified: 4/6/2021 6:07:38 PM
KENSINGTON, N.H. A sugar maple tree that has watched over a New Hampshire home for more than 200 years and was one of the largest of its kind in the United States is coming down because of safety concerns.
Updated: 9:47 AM EDT Apr 7, 2021 By MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press A sugar maple tree that has watched over a New Hampshire home for more than 200 years and was one of the largest of its kind in the United States is coming down because of safety concerns.As a small crowd looked on Monday, arborist Micum Davis started trimming the crown of the tree in Kensington with the goal of taking it apart by the end of the day. Given the tree has a crown stretching 100 feet across, a diameter of more than 7 feet (2 meters) and stands 100 feet tall, the job required a crane to haul away branches as Davis cut them off with a chainsaw. A wood chipper howled in the background.The tree has won plenty of accolades over the years. It has been recognized by the New Hampshire Big Tree Program and appears in the National Register of Champion Trees. It is considered the second largest sugar maple after one in Virginia, according to Rose Tileston, the manager of American Forests National