Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction ready to learn in Central Texas

I'm new to the forum and fairly new to ponds (2014). I subscribed to the magazine pretty quickly, when it became clear that I knew virtually nothing about ponds but wanted (and needed!) to know a lot. It has definitely delivered, although it's also clear that I have much more to learn than I ever could have imagined.

I know I will find some good wisdom here, too - for one immediate concern and for other issues that will come up over time.

I have a 3.5 acre pond in Central Texas that I believe was built in the late 1970s. (There's a photo below.) It seems healthy and there's a good population of fish that we are working to manage as we learn more. Our problem is that two sections of the pond are filled with large, dead hardwoods. We are very happy to have them as habitat below the water. But we would like to remove the tops -- the parts you can see -- to make the pond look better. We have tried several things, including trimming what we could reach when the water was low, using comealongs and even taking a chainsaw into a canoe (something I would rather not repeat). I would love any advice you have on how to remove them and on whether we should let the removed parts sink to become habitat or remove them from the pond. I don't want to use chains to pull them out by the roots because I worry that could create a leak and destroy good fish habitat. Thanks for any advice you can share.

[img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/4z9g3mf6xuhqy5y/2015-05-16%203%20of%204.JPG?dl=0[/img]
_________________________
Lynn

Welcome to the family. Ask lots of questions, post pix, and make new friends along the way, great bunch of folks that will share info willingly

A lot of woodpecker use the dead trees for nesting sites

Like to help but don't see any way other than chain saw. If you cut them off, and the water level drops, you will still have an eyesore.

ALB TX,
Welcome to Pond Boss. Lots of good info and helpful folks here.

ALB TX, welcome, I think the timber gives the pond character. I would leave it to Mother Nature. But if you are determined to cut them down, I would let the tops stay in the water, like u said, it will provide cover for the fishies.

Tracy

ALB TX, welcome to the forum.
I'm with Tracy on this one; the trees do add considerable character to your pond. They also provide habitat for several bird species. Do you have wood ducks in your area? A couple of nesting boxes up in the trees might attract some nesting woodies. Eagles or osprey may also perch in them allowing opportunities for some great picture taking. The downside of perches is great blue herons or cormorants may also use them. Most pondbossers don't want either of those birds on their ponds.
So, if you do want to remove some or all of them, I'd suggest having an arborist take a look. If the trees are still strong, an arborist could climb and remove them that way. I can also see cutting them just above water level from a stable boat that is either anchored well or held in place by assistants on the bank of the pond, or by an assistant running the trolling motor. I'm an arborist and would definitely go for it in a hot summer day! Imagine the splash!
Let us know what you decide.
Roger

Thanks to all of you for the thoughts and help. I do love the idea of leaving some for perches and adding some wood duck boxes. Guess it's the chainsaw without the canoe for the ones we decide to take down -- and a plan to leave enough for the woodpeckers, ducks and other birds. We do have herons and egrets occasionally, but there are still fish to catch so we're sharing for now! Thank you all and glad to be part of this terrific community!