Unfortunately, it was our fault. When we built the tree house a few years ago, we did not leave enough space around the trunk for the tree to continue swaying in the wind as it has for many years. The tree had to "learn a new dance" in the wind and it killed it, splitting the trunk. We knew with a few hard freezes and windy days, the tree was destined to fall soon.
Now we can remodel the existing tree house with a table in the middle and a BB gun window...not to mention enough fire wood for next winter!
A few shots from memory lane~
