Large tree falls, but makes perfect pen for animals

By Donathan Prater

Published: May 9, 2008

What once was a towering refuge for wildlife, has now been reduced to little more than firewood.

A large Sweetgum tree that greeted those who came calling at the home of Jere and Judy Colley was toppled after storms passed through the area Thursday night, blocking their home’s driveway.

The Colleys, who were babysitting their 3-1/2-year-old granddaughter, Savannah, Thursday evening got an unusual phone call from their daughter, informing them that she couldn’t get in as she tried to enter the driveway of their Opelika home.

That’s because the 85-foot, 3.5-foot diameter Sweetgum had broken and fallen across their drive, damaging a pair of pear trees on the opposite side.

“When I first saw the fallen tree, I wondered if Norman had gotten out,” said Judy Colley.

Fortunately, Norman, a twenty-something-year-old Longhorn steer, who shares the space on the Colley’s farm with a llama named Stevie and Snow the miniature pony, didn’t get loose and was unharmed by the felled tree.

While a long-standing landmark of their farm is no more, Judy Colley is grateful that the damage wasn’t worse.

“It had to be by the grace of God because that tree couldn’t have fallen at any better angle,” Judy Colley said.

The angle at which the Sweetgum tree fell, while destroying part of a fence, created a natural barrier, keeping the Colley’s animals confined to the farm.

At the base of where the Sweetgum tree stood is a flower bed with several Impatiens that do well in shaded areas.

“Well, I guess they can say goodbye to that shade now,” joked Judy Colley.

It was difficult for Colley to say goodbye to, as well, as workers from a tree removal service began clearing away the downed tree.

“It’s been home to a lot of animals for a long time,” said Judy Colley, who has lived at her Stonewall Road residence for more than 25 years.

As for planting a new tree where the stately Sweetgum once stood, that’s something Judy Colley said they’ll probably hold off on doing.

“I doubt we’ll live long enough to see it grow to any real size,” Judy Colley said, laughing.