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Safety Advice for Newbie...

Started by Paschale, September 18, 2002, 10:42:23 PM

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Corley5

I thought about him the other day too.  I was dealing with a maple that hung up.  Since I was cutting it for firewood I started blocking off chunks.  I'd cut through from the top side until it just started to pinch and then cut up from the bottom.  After a few of these it rolled a bit and came out of the tree it was hanging in.  Take into consideration that in this instance there was no side bind and it was a much smaller tree than the ash Pascale was going to deal with.  Today I cut a large beech that hung up.  I used the tractor to pull it down.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Paschale

Hi Everyone,

I see that my topic has gotten some airtime again, and I have been remiss in replying!  My trip got delayed a couple of weeks, and since I've been back, I've been swamped, so I apologize for the delayed reply.  I am happy to report that I am alive and well...and that we got the Ash tree safely down.  It's stacked and stickered, drying at my dad's place.

The forum had pretty sober words about the dangers of bringing it down.  When my dad and I went up, we weren't positive that we'd even attempt it, based on the advice from the forum.  But, as several on the forum suggested, taking a close look at the situation was required.  We felt that we could get it down for a couple of reasons--I could describe the situation in another post if people are interested.

Part of my reason for not responding was that since the majority of responses said "don't do it!," I thought that maybe because I did end up doing it, I'd get a bit of a verbal lashing from the forum.  Especially considering the last post before my trip up, from a forestry loss control officer!

Anyway, please accept my apologies for not replying sooner!  And thanks for all the advice too!

PS  JeffB--I must have deleted your email by mistake.  My email here on the forestryforum is my secondary one, and so yours probably got lost in amongst the myriad of spam which goes in the trash bin.

Here are a couple pics...





And just before stacking...







Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Kevin

Nice job.
It`s not so much doing the job but knowing the dangers involved.
If you aren`t aware of the potential dangers and just start hacking away at a hung tree you`re asking for trouble and I suspect you approached this tree with some respect and looked it over real well before making any cuts.

Jeff

QuotePS  JeffB--I must have deleted your email by mistake.  My email here on the forestryforum is my secondary one, and so yours probably got lost in amongst the myriad of spam which goes in the trash bin.

I'm feeling pretty dejected right now knowing that I am part of "a myriad of spam"  but I am still relieved to hear that you are O.K. ;)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Paschale

You know Jeff...I reread what I wrote...and I could have written that a bit better!  How could anyone's email from the good ole forestry forum be spam?  I just hit the delete button in hotmail, because all I could see was spam, spam, spam.  Little did I know I sent a valuable email to an untimely death!

Anyway...it's definitely good to have that ash, and it's even better to be alive!
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Corley5

Glad to hear it went well!!  Looking over the situation and thinking about it is always the best.  Never rush head first into anything.  That tree made some nice lumber.  What are your plans for it?
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Paschale

Corley,

I'm pretty pleased with the results of the lumber.  I haven't completely calculated how much lumber I was able to get out of the five logs, but it's quite a bit!  I hope to do several projects with it, though the primary one will be to build new kitchen cabinets.  We'll see how much that takes, and the rest will just be for fun projects.

Dan M.
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Weekend_Sawyer

 Heay Paschale,

 Glad you made it through, You have to start somewhere!

Nice Lumbermate. Yet another OTHER Orange!
Imagine, Me a Tree Farmer.
Jon, Appalachian American Wannabe.

IndyIan

Hi Paschale,
I was wondering if you could post how you took that tree down.  I had one in the exact same position except the leaner had a V and it hung up on another tree and now they are both leaners.... ::)
The first leaner fell this spring and I had not taken my chainsaw course yet so I left it alone and the second tree uprooted in the middle of the summer.  Fortunatley the second tree is hung up in some small(40ft) cedars so I won't lose any more good trees to this domino effect.

My best guess is to cut the first leaner like a normal heavy leaning tree, notch the front, and plunge cut the back cut leaving a good hinge, then cut through the holding wood and take a few quick steps back.  Hopefully they will both fall then or I'll try and winch the butt from behind the stump and back until the whole tree is on the ground.  
I'll post some pics of this situation if I remember to bring the digital camera to the woods this weekend.
  

Tom

It's not just a leaning tree if the top is hung.  you may have to undercut the tree to keep it from pinching your saw. Look at it closely before you get too committed. You may have to take your notch from the top and cut the backcut from undereneath with the back of the bar.

I'd be willing to bet that you will end up using the winch.

Please be careful.

Paschale

Indylan,

Sorry I've not responded sooner to your post.  You asked for my advice--honestly, I don't feel qualified to give advice when it comes to felling trees, since this really was my first go at it, and I didn't even actually do the cutting.  It was an incredibly stressful situation to be sure, and not one that I would have attempted on my own.  We cut it with a guy who's had quite a bit of experience in the woods, and even so, it was nerve-wracking to say the least.  As it turned out, in our case, there wasn't a problem.  We did utilize chains and a tractor to help guide the tree, and I don't think we would have attempted it without that power.  Anyway, I wish you the best of luck, and if you're able to post some pictures on here, there will certainly be others with much more experience than me that can help you.

Best of luck,

Dan M.
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

tony_marks

after the hugo hurricane ,i was working one just about like this.
 one of many i did with no incident. i tried to  make a cut. when it went ,it was so fast that it past me, as i was retreating. just a foot to the side and i just plain wouldnt be here . the tree was as large as yours an real sprung into a  bigger tree than yours.that one had me layin awake at nite for a while.pull it loose an down before foolin with it ,would be my advice.
 ps u probably know this but if its still attached to the root ball dont be anywhere near that if u cut. little girl got killed that same day .
 the root ball sprung back up with her in the hole.as i remember
 her dad then got his gun walked into the woods and never came back alive . this a real sad story ,but just one of many.

IndyIan

Well I still haven't remembered to bring my digital camera and I definetely haven't thought about cutting down my hang up trees.  The stories here are a good dose of reality of what can happen when big trees are hung up...  Hopefully some weekend I'll go have a look at them and they're on the ground!  If not I guess I can wait till they are.  
There are some good timbers in those trees for my house so hopefully they don't rot before they come down.
Play safe,
Ian

L. Wakefield

   Yes- last time I walked fence (during hunting season- multi-tasking as usual)- there was a little section near the swamp where popples had leaned over and were like slow dominoes. I saw one leaner then as I was scanning I realized I was standing under another and I looked over and saw a 3rd- all at the same angle. I am assuming it's a combo of wind load and soil plane. They all are falling 'uphill' or away from water. 'Away' is a relative term, since it's right up close under the roots. Dank and dismal area. No value for sawlogs, I am certain. There was one standing up a ways on up the fence line- dead- and when I used it as a fence post the wood was really punky to staple into. lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

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