big oak removal

[VT_Forestry]

A friend of mine lives in a place called Oak Manor, where his house is surrounded by huge white oaks.  Well one of them died a few years back and of course he calls up his buddy with the chainsaw to help him get it down so it wouldn't fall on his guest house.  I told him if he was worried about the tree falling on anything, he's probably called the wrong guy  :D  Anyway, I went and checked it out...35" White oak, 80' tall, 5 feet from his guest house.  As luck would have it, it was leaning away from the house and had a couple good sized branches on that side as well, so I was confident it would fall safely...which amazingly it did.  Now keep in mind that I'm no urban tree removal guy...I've cut down my fair share of trees but only tackle urban ones if I feel really good about them.  Here are a few pictures of the whole process, I know how you guys like pictures 

Just getting started...makes me look tiny


Backcut - 20" bar on a 35" tree takes some creativity haha


TIMBERRR


Safely on the ground

[Rocky_J]

Nice work. That last picture shows that you understand hinge characteristics a whole lot better than you let on.  8)

[beenthere]

Nice job. Prolly the most dangerous part is the next step, to get it off that limb and on the ground safely.
Shows what a 20" bar can do, with the right skills. 

Getting a sawlog outta that?

[VT_Forestry]

Nice job. Prolly the most dangerous part is the next step, to get it off that limb and on the ground safely.
Shows what a 20" bar can do, with the right skills. 

Getting a sawlog outta that?

These pictures were taken last year, so this tree is long gone.  I wish i had the capability to use it, it was clear for 33' until that first branch...but unfortunately I didn't have any way to haul it or mill it, and he was in a hurry to get it out of his yard so it got bucked up into firewood and hauled off.  Probably for the better, that thing was purple all the way up throughout the stem

[Jeff]

By the looks of it, even with the purple, it may have been worth the effort to try and saw it. That was a dandy.

[VT_Forestry]

Yeah, I kept looking at it wishing I had the means of doing something with it other than burning it...but it was an hour from my house and I had no way of moving it.  Another good one goes up in smoke

[WDH]

VT,

Nice job and a beautiful log.  Too bad it did not go into lumber.

[metalspinner]

I make it a point to introduce myself to tree guys around town.  Many of them are "small" and do not have heavy equipment.  Most have said to me, "I wish I would have known about you last week.  We cut up  a huge walnut, cherry, maple, oak just to get it out of there.  I felt terrible about that beautiful log getting cut up, but..."

These introductions have been going on for four years now.  Only one has ever gotten back in touch. :(

That is a good looking log.  I bet it split wonderfully. :D

[VT_Forestry]

That is a good looking log.  I bet it split wonderfully. :D

hahaha, probably the best log I ever split  :D

[Ron Scott]

Well done! Those single logs, even of good quality, are sometimes hard to get removed in their "log form". Everyone wants them until its time to pick the up. :D Then when they see them being cut up for firewood, they wish that they had, but the landowner can't wait forever.

[Roxie]

Wow!  I'm glad you had pictures of that.  Great job! 

[VT_Forestry]

Thanks!  It was a lot of fun cutting it, definitely one of the bigger trees I've had the luxury of taking down

[Dodgy Loner]

Good job dropping that tree!  I've gotten some logs from a tree that size that was taken down (not by me!) with a saw with a 14" bar .  Tore up the heart pretty bad on the butt log, but there was still plenty of good wood in it

I've loaded several oaks that size onto a trailer using just a couple channel iron ramps and two hand-powered winches that were used to raise the doors on chicken barns in their previous life.  The largest one I moved was 38" in diameter on the big end, 34" on the small end, and 10' long.  I always mean to take pictures whenever I use the rig, but I never do :(

[blaze83]

VT,


nice job on the fall, not an easy thing with an undersized bar...face cut was nice and level, back cut aligned perfectly. ver low stump pull and presto...fell right were u wanted...again  nice job....would love to have been there to help..something about falling a tree that gets the heart pumping haha, to bad no one close by with a mill...woul have loved to had the lumber bor my shop floor.

god bless,

Steve

[DR Buck]

I make it a point to introduce myself to tree guys around town.  Many of them are "small" and do not have heavy equipment.  Most have said to me, "I wish I would have known about you last week.  We cut up  a huge walnut, cherry, maple, oak just to get it out of there.  I felt terrible about that beautiful log getting cut up, but..."

These introductions have been going on for four years now.  Only one has ever gotten back in touch. :(

That is a good looking log.  I bet it split wonderfully. :D

Most likely didn't get back to you because they are sawing them up and selling as firewood.    :(     At least that's they way it goes around here.

[metalspinner]

Yeah, sometimes.  But often, they are just dumped at the landfill or put on side of the road for the city to pick up around here.  Our winters are fairly mild and we have lots of trees and forests.  My guess is that firewood supply is plentiful.

We can't save them all... :(