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Dealing with EAB killed ash

Started by Mad Professor, December 10, 2018, 10:58:41 AM

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Mad Professor

I have ~ 20 acres of mixed hardwoods with a little hemlock and E. pine in the mix.  A good portion of the hardwoods are ash, 12-30" dbh, and EAB has arrived.

I have tried to salvage as they start to die as firewood, or if still sound for lumber, I have a small mill.

My issue is trying to drop the still standing trees, or worse the hangups, without getting killed.  The canopy is pretty full in most places and those dead tops/branches are scary to deal with.  Nature has taken it's course on some and they fell but there is a LOT of hangups.

I have limited resources and no real logging equipment (skidders etc...).  I do have saws, wedges, logging chains, a 2 ton cable and 3 ton chain comealongs, bull rope, small farm tractor. Been using saws and dropping trees for personal use for many years, have studied and understand directional felling.  I'm good at that with sound trees and a clear path to fell.  I have used the comealongs for leaners but mostly on sound trees.  I'm thinking maybe I need to get more rope and a some snatch blocks to deal with some of the hangups, getting away from the danger zone/path of fall.

I just started doing some searches for dealing with hangups, found some good information, and also some crazy unsafe things .  I'm open to ideas/suggestions and/or good links.

I'll try to post some pictures of what I'm dealing with when I get some time.

P.S. I hope this is the right place to post this? If not can the Mods move it?


Southside

The problem with EAB killed ash is that by the time you notice the tree has died, it has been compromised for a while and the wood is weakened. They will snap 20' up in the air, they will rain down limbs, etc.  There is no good way to work under a canopy like that because odds are everything completely around you is a danger tree.  

Can you sell the stumpage off to someone with a mechanical harvester?  I realize that is not what you want to hear, but what you are proposing is akin to trying to dribble a football in a minefield - it just won't end well.  
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Mad Professor

Quote from: Southside logger on December 10, 2018, 11:06:49 AM
The problem with EAB killed ash is that by the time you notice the tree has died, it has been compromised for a while and the wood is weakened. They will snap 20' up in the air, they will rain down limbs, etc.  There is no good way to work under a canopy like that because odds are everything completely around you is a danger tree.  

Can you sell the stumpage off to someone with a mechanical harvester?  I realize that is not what you want to hear, but what you are proposing is akin to trying to dribble a football in a minefield - it just won't end well.  
Thanks for your thoughts. 
Would not be worth their time to bring in mechanical harvester.  And I do understand the dangers involved, would rather let them rot/let nature take it's course than have a tragedy.
I guess what I'm looking at are ways to rig hangers and pull from a safe distance.  I'll leave the standing stuff w/rotten tops alone. That is only address trees with free butts, and tops hung up.  I have read up on cuts for freeing butts of hangers, would only consider this as preliminary to pulling on some cases.
My thoughts are securing a chain/rope as high as possible to the hang up, then going to a snatch block to direct the pull, at a different/safe spot away from hangup, applying the pull with a comealong.  Might need two comealongs if the pull is longer than one will handle, maybe invest in more ropes.
Does this sound feasible/safe? Anybody done similar?  What to invest in for equipment (ropes, snatch blocks, block and tackles?,  etc.)? 
I think my tractor is too small to do the pulls with unless the trees are small.

Treehack

Could you use your tractor along with a block & tackle to increase its pulling force?
TK 1220, 100+ acres of timber, strong left arm.

Mad Professor

Quote from: Treehack on December 10, 2018, 01:13:27 PM
Could you use your tractor along with a block & tackle to increase its pulling force?
Yes, would have to invest in strong block and tackle and more rope(s).  
The rope I have now is v/strong 5/8 or 3/4 ", ?,  braided nylon ~ 100" long.  Have a bunch of ~ 15' X 3/8" logging chains, shorter chains to hook to trees, clevis hooks, D-rings, slip hooks.....
Tractor is an oldly but goody 9N ford.  Runs like new, but not very big.  Have used it for skidding out single logs 24" dbh X 12' (cherry/ash/maple) and it works great on level ground, have to know limitations.  
Also have a Ford 2000 3cyl, but it not going to be going again till spring.  That would be a better choice for work at hand here, locking diffy and more weight.  If $$$ was not an issue would get a winch for that, has hydraulic hookups
Thoughts on rigging I need?
It looks like a Lewis winch might be ideal for this.  Wish I had brought one years ago.  What I see now are made from Chinesium!

Mad Professor

Been doing some research looks like it will be fair amount of change/$$$, to get a snatch block, and block and tackle that can handle pulling hangers.

Anybody have suggestion for vendors, or  used they want to part with?

mike_belben

Praise The Lord

moodnacreek

Sounds like a machine with a winch and long cable and trap door snatch block is needed badly for the hang ups.

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