Broken Trees - NY edition
-
While all species of trees do it, oaks are particularly prone to what is called "summer branch drop". While the wind and added weight of rain water certainly sped things up, that limb was going to break off anyway. You can see where it had already begun splitting off maybe a year or three ago, where the wood is rotting at the top of the tear.
The issue now is that I see 2 more poi d's where that limb could break again and drop another big branch. One of you should call a tree surgeon and see if that main branch needs to be cut back before something else breaks off.
-
Look at the bright side...That's a couple of nice fires in the fireplace or you have some smoking wood.
The new battery chainsaws are much better and will cut bigger stuff than they used to. Might be time for a new tool, if you don't have one.
Something else you might consider for trimming limbs:
https://www.harborfreight.com/95-in-7-amp-corded-electric-pole-saw-62896.html
Yeah, they take a cord, but they're cheap and they work well for limbs they can reach, should you decide to trim some smaller stuff.
For limbs a bit higher, this is slow as molasses, but does work:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/High-Limb-48-in-Manual-Chain-Saw-HD14049CS-48/301790942