Life and Island Times July 18 2016 – Two Sisters

Out behind casa Marlow reside two massive Spanish lime tree (Mamoncillo or little sucker) sisters. One is of middle age, while the older one dates back 140 to 150 years. These sisters sit atop a fresh water lens below the island’s porous limestone. This convex shaped, mini aquifer has fed and sustained the sisters with precious filtered rain water on this desert isle.

USGS Key West survey map of fresh water lens/wells 1990
(Marlow note: the sisters’ life giving lens is located above the D in Old Town)

They were the oldest and tallest living things in Monroe County. With big sister dating back to the end of the US Civil War, they had survived dozens of hurricanes, four wars, and the island being developed to within an inch of its life and their lives.

Neighborhood kids, now in their late 50s and 60s, remember climbing the sisters in the 60s and 70s. The sisters had accessible lower branches from which to begin their climbs. One 60-something remembers being able to see the US Naval Station harbor to the west and the Key West shrimping fleet to the north from his perch 50 feet in the air. They also remember the wonderfully tart, tangy, creamy fruit that they produced in bountiful quantifies every summer. They would suck the fruits, being careful not to let the juice stain their clothing. Not even Tide could rid their t-shirts of its dark brown stains

Spanish Lime tree fruit

Despite the sisters’ persistence, Mother Nature finally did them in. They had fallen victim to deadly fungal disease and ravenous ground termites. For the past three years. the sisters bore little fruit that oftentimes did not mature and just dropped off. Just last year, they started dropping limbs that a few months prior were healthy and green.

Given their girth, height and breadth, their catastrophic structural failure in moderate tropical storm force winds could have smashed a half a dozen house during a short afternoon. A decade or so prior, big sister has lost a limb during one such storm that had crushed the mother-in-law apartment behind Marlow’s neighbor’s house. Marlow estimated by eyeball that big sister topped out at over 85 feet with a spread of over 60 feet and a trunk circumference of 18-20 feet.

They had to go. Since they are protected species of flora, discussion began with the authorities in 2014. A draft application for their removal was submitted to the city tree commission. Local tree Nazis objected to the request during commission meetings, but the resident University of Florida Agricultural Extension Agent said the trees were doomed and had to go. The permit was granted after several months of bureaucracy.

Finding a tree removal service capable of such an undertaking took longer. This was not a one or two man, two-day operation. It would require four or more lumberjacks, block and tackle, rappelling gear, hoists, multiple chains saws, industrial sized wood chippers, and a 160 foot long armed crane. A company was finally located which could do the job. It was probably no coincidence that it was located on Big Pine Key.

Snowbird home owners were chased down via internet searches, emails and voicemail’s to secure property access for equipment to be emplaced. This took almost nine months.

When the day arrived for the Caring Tree Service Company to begin operations, crew members were stunned by the sisters. Only the tree company’s owner, Nick, had seen them in person in the company of Marlow and the tree owner.

For three and a half days under rainy grey skies, the lumberjacks climbed the sisters, lopping off and lowering branches, bucking the wood, chipping and shredding the branches into truckload and truckload of sawdust heavy chips. These big mamas didn’t like the assault and showed it. Unannounced droppings of healthy leaves and twigs fell, while the crew was away. They fought back with odd popping noises that accompanied simple and clean limb removals. Even Mother Nature attempted to assist the sisters’ defense with cold rains and winds during their dismantling. Man and his machines were not be dissuaded by cold wet weather.

CTS’s Nick trimming little sister (stop action)

Sawdust flew everywhere, accumulating in piles that drifted with wind gust like yellow tinted snow. In places it was 6 to 8 inches deep. After six days, the bottom of Marlow’ pool bottom had collected many pounds of soggy sawdust.

Big sister shorn

It took four men three days to trim big sister’s greenery off. Little sister’s de-greening required another full day. Thus denuded the sisters looked forlorn under cloudy skies.

Crane-o-suarus surveys its prey

When Crane-o-saurus arrived, it was the first thing that the sisters had ever seen that was their size and larger. The tree trimmers spent four days atop the crane and in the trees to slowly hack the 20 plus tons of wood that had taken a century and half to grow in place. With the lumberjacks perched in the sisters or in a homemade metal cage attached by cable wire to the crane head, they endlessly sliced off limbs weighing between 500 and 1000 pounds apiece. The crane would then gently lift it over, around and between half million dollar homes to the limb demolition site.

Piles of logs slowly accumulated at the demolition site as the lumberjacks cut the limbs and trucks into more manageable pieces. It took dedicated crew work to lug them by hand and by motorized mine hauler to the streets. Day after day crew members loaded them onto trucks and trailers to be taken away.

Sisters’ demolition site

A year prior, Marlow had contacted the owner of the local Eco-Bar (yes, his island had such an oddity) that was decorated in century old salvaged wood and trees from south Florida. Another self-taught wood furniture and cabinet maker was alerted that there was a treasure to be found in Marlow’s neighborhood. This woodworker salivated at the prospect since Spanish lime tree wood displays a beautiful spotted appearance. It allows thin forms to be sculpted that depict the lightness of flight despite the wood’s softness and fragility.

What this carver wanted most was the root wood. It would be variegated, multicolored and full of interesting colored shapes and voids that would delight any lover of fine wooden objects. Marlow asked for a cross cut slice of big sister to preserve, finish and display. Perhaps the sisters would live on in artful objects . . . .

At the end of it all, it took man seven days to disappear what Mother Nature took 150 years to create.

Copyright © 2016 From My Isle Seat