Indian Well Overlook Restoration

It's pretty sad when you stagger up a steep hill and arrive at the top panting only to discover that there's no view because all the trees grew back in. Last year we restored the Birchbank overlook, which people have been really enjoying. This year the old Indian Well overlook is getting the treatment.

To begin, we identified one large oak tree with a spreading canopy that could be cut to open up a view of the river. The family photo below is from 2006, but you can see there is one big tall oak with a spreading canopy. Get that baby out of the way, and that's a start.

The tree was flagged and gps coordinates recorded for the CT DEEP, which needed to grant permission to cut the tree in the state park. Joe Maler from the DEEP promptly walked up the hill to check it out and gave his permission to cut the tree. Colin Carroll from CFPA did the work.  Colin seemed to know what he was doing and after about 20 minutes of careful cuts and strategically applied wedges, he gave the signal that he was about to do that last cut. Watch the video below to see it fall. Wow!  Look at how far the trunk of the tree jumps as it lands!

You really need to click that video and go to Youtube with it maximized on a PC to get the full effect. 

AFTER.

After removing the big oak, there is still more to cut, but it's a huge improvement.

UPDATE May 9, 2017. After more clearing, here's the overlook now: