American Elm removed from historic church cemetery

Art’s Tree Care of Winchester arrived at Stephens City UMC cemetery on Germain Street at 10:30 AM on a cold January morning to manage the sensitive removal of an American Elm tree. Owner Jim Anderson had previously written up the contract for the Church Trustees while promising to be very mindful of the historic gravestones.

According to Team Lead Mike Hines, the Elm was forty-five feet tall, fifteen inches in diameter, and around forty years old. The American Elm grows fast in any type of soil and environment. Elms are loved for their graceful, stately shape, with branches like spreading fountains. Unfortunately, our cemetery Elm was spreading into our neighbor’s yard and also threatened our centuries old tombstones if one of the branches would come down in a windstorm.

Due to the fragile nature of the old limestone grave markers, the tree services bucket truck could not be driven through the cemetery to reach the Elm. Chris Hammond, an employee with the landscaping service, would have to climb the tree, by means of tree rigging ropes and pulleys.  Hammond uses two types of chainsaws for his tree climbing work. Chris says the Stihl MS201T hands down is the ultimate tree climbers saw. It is lightweight, dependable and easy to operate. Hammond also prefers working with a 661 C-M Magnum Stihl (36-inch bar) chainsaw which is best for felling large tree branches or taking out tree trunks.

Chris Hammond removes the tree tops high above historic cemetery grounds. Photos courtesy Marty Barley.

Crew member Mike Hines handled the Bandit Intimidator hand-fed Chipper for shredding tree branches. It is a drum-style chipper featuring a 24-inch diameter drum with a large throat opening. Mike easily pushed large brush stacks and limbs through powerful dual feed wheels mounted in Bandit’s Slide Box Feed System.

A third team member Shane Stine worked the wheel barrow hauling the brush stacks and trunk wedges after they were cut into manageable sizes back to the parking lot for shredding or loading onto the large commercial GMC truck. The American Elm was taken down to the stump and the property was cleared of tree branches and large brush stacks in two hours.

Tree Climbers must be properly trained and experienced in recognized safe climbing, crown thinning and topping techniques to handle this type of work.

Unfortunately, the historic 1882 Mast, Foos & Company Springfield Ohio, Buckeye Wrought Iron Punched Rail Fence was leaning into the tree and that prevented the stump from being totally taken out. The Ohio  manufacturer was the premier fence company that provided many Victorian homes, public buildings and cemeteries with exceptional fences. The Buckeye fence was known as a show stopper during the late 1800s.

The tree removal was done in an effort to keep the two hundred- and thirty-year-old cemetery free of debris and to allow for easier maintenance of the property grounds. Tony Cook (Building Supervisor) maintains the cemetery grounds and said the tree removal will make lawn care a little less troublesome. It was only 1 PM and Mike’s crew was off to another job on a busy Tuesday afternoon.

Shane Stine cuts up remainder of the tree trunk for hauling off to the county landfill. The 1882 Mast, Foos & Company Wrought Iron Punched Rail Fence in background.

About the Cemetery

On this site in 1789 a log meeting house was built. A graveyard lay to the back of it which still exists and where some of the town’s early residents were buried. The graveyard includes the remains of close friends of Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury who first preached here in 1783. Friends he noted visiting and working with during the early days of Methodism were local preacher Elisha Phelps (buried 1815) and preacher and Revolutionary War Veteran John Bell Tilden (buried 1838). Rev. Elisha Phelps wife Elizabeth (buried 1812) was Granddaughter of Jost Hite (early land speculator) and daughter of Colonel John Hite of Revolutionary fame. Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) believe Thomas Steele, buried here in 1834, supported the Revolutionary War by taking the Oath of Allegiance and donating provisions.