oak tree

turningfool · December 14, 2006, 04:42:16 AM

being a woodturner youd think i'd know more about felling trees,need advice on this one tho.subject:red oak..base dia. 9 feet..36" husky..helllllp! approx.50 feet of trunk and 5 foot dia. at the top straight and branchless..lumber or firewood?

woodmills1 · December 14, 2006, 07:19:34 AM

nine foot diameter?

thats pretty large how did ya measure that?

Furby · December 14, 2006, 12:25:21 PM

I'm guessing that would be 9' circumference turningfool.
Did you wrap the tape around the tree?

If it IS 9' in diameter, then I GOTTA see it before ya do anything!

johncinquo · December 14, 2006, 12:49:13 PM

This sounds like a perfect customer for my new business I have been thinking up in my head. Yes its a dangerous place sometimes.

Chainsaw for hire.

The ad is:

rental saw: $75
Gas: $3
Gloves: $10
Eye protection: $10
Ear protection: $20
Chaps: $60

Not cutting off your leg, smashing your neighbors house, or pulling down electrical lines,

Priceless.

You might want to find a tree co. or arborist to bring that down for you, at the least. And yes, if its 9' diamter I want to see it as well!

turningfool · December 14, 2006, 05:10:30 PM

i am actualy guesstimating the trees dia. i know my trees and have cut many in the 5 foot dia. range..this one is nearly twice that diameter..guessing the circumference to be around 200-240 inches..at the base but only slightly smaller at dbh..bark is nominal at approx.1/4 inch in thickness

beenthere · December 14, 2006, 06:18:32 PM

Quote from: turningfool on December 14, 2006, 05:10:30 PM
i am actualy guesstimating the trees dia. i know my trees and have cut many in the 5 foot dia. range..this one is nearly twice that diameter..guessing the circumference to be around 200-240 inches..at the base but only slightly smaller at dbh..bark is nominal at approx.1/4 inch in thickness

Twice 5 ft diam would be 10ft diam, which would be 377 inches circumference. How about an actual measurement in circumference. The 200 - 240 inch circumference trees would range from 5'4" diam to 6'4" diam (not twice 5ft I don't think). Don't mean to get real technical here though.

The diameter is important if you are wanting advice on cutting it down with a 36" saw bar, seems to me.

But of the many 5 ft diam trees that you have cut, did you cut them with a 36" bar?

turningfool · December 14, 2006, 06:58:28 PM

the others were with the same saw with a 24" bar..with the 36 i had to cut from both directions to get throught the branches that fell from its crown..will take a tape the next time i go

ohsoloco · December 14, 2006, 07:53:23 PM

Sounds like you need to take a camera ;)

Furby · December 14, 2006, 08:19:10 PM

Yeah, I'll be bringing the camera! ;)

woodmills1 · December 14, 2006, 08:32:25 PM

well I for one want to see the pictures. :D

rebocardo · December 15, 2006, 01:04:29 AM

On a 9 foot DBH oak I would certainly look at preserving the genes some how including picking up acorns.

Left Coast Chris · December 15, 2006, 01:55:34 AM

9' Diameter is a whoper. Several years ago I helped my neighbor take down a Cottonwood that did actually measure over 9'. The largest direction was over 11'. It was droping 3' Diameter limbs on the asphalt road and punched a couple of big holes. It was definately a herritage tree. Too bad it had to come down. We rented a 60' lift to get the limbs off before we cut the trunk. Because of the odd shape, he had a 60" bar and cut from both sides and we still had to jack it to get it to seperate. The tree was in an area of 12' of river loam soil with gravel and ground water at 12'. The cottonwoods and valley oaks reach the water and can really get huge.

Furby · December 15, 2006, 12:47:29 PM

Out behind my folks place many, many years ago we came across a stump that was in that size range.
I've always wondered what it was, but I'd be willing to guess that it was indeed cottonwood.
That place is only a couple miles from where I live now, but I don't have any acess to that woods and figure the stump has rotted out as it was in bad shape way back when.

Fla._Deadheader · December 15, 2006, 12:55:41 PM

There are stumps big enough in the Swamps of Florida, from the Cypress, where you could park a skidder behind and not see it from a distance.

They were cut with axes. :P ;D ;D ;D

WDH · December 15, 2006, 01:26:36 PM

Turningfool,

The largest Oak tree listed in Michigan's list of champion trees is 7 feet in diameter, and that ia a white oak. The second largest is a black oak at 6.5 feet in diameter. If you have an oak with a true diameter (not circumference) of 9 feet, it is a state champion for that species. See this link for the list. To get diameter from the circumference measurements in the list, divide the circumference in inches by 3.1416 then divide that result by12. That will give you the diameter in feet.

http://www.michbotclub.org/big_trees/champion_list.htm

Furby · December 15, 2006, 01:30:29 PM

I understand that the top is out of this tree so it would not be considered would it?

WDH · December 15, 2006, 02:06:53 PM

If it had enough crown to keep it alive it would be eligible. However, to be a champion, 3 measurements are taken:

1). Circumference in inches
2). Height in feet
3) Crown spread in feet divided by 4

So, if the top is out, that will kill the height and the crown spread impact. As you can see, height is equal to circumference so very very tall can overcome less circumference. On the other hand, very very short will also hurt the chances badly.

For example, I measured the Georgia State Champion Shumard Oak ( I will try to post a pic later). It was 4 1/2 feet in diameter (170 inches of circumference) not overly large as oaks go,, but it was 141 feet tall. That is tall for a hardwood, and it is a gorgeous speciman. Not growing in a fertilized yard, but in a hardwood bottom that has not been logged in 75 years.

Buzz-sawyer · December 15, 2006, 02:07:50 PM

Quote from: farmer77 on December 15, 2006, 01:55:34 AM
9' Diameter is a whoper. Several years ago I helped my neighbor take down a Cottonwood that did actually measure over 9'. The largest direction was over 11'. It was droping 3' Diameter limbs on the asphalt road and punched a couple of big holes. It was definately a herritage tree. Too bad it had to come down. We rented a 60' lift to get the limbs off before we cut the trunk. Because of the odd shape, he had a 60" bar and cut from both sides and we still had to jack it to get it to seperate. The tree was in an area of 12' of river loam soil with gravel and ground water at 12'. The cottonwoods and valley oaks reach the water and can really get huge.

Heck around here that cotton could of gotten that big in 80 years....they are weeds!!

SwampDonkey · December 15, 2006, 07:04:34 PM

I've seen some here over 5 feet, a couple of them on the university campus. Huge beasts and very tall. Growing real close to buildings.

A few years ago a lady had a couple on her lawn that needed taking down, they were close to 4 foot diameters. She decided to let mother nature remove them, and remove them she did. I think it was only a week or two after I recommended she remove them. :

A big NE wind came through and uprooted one and snapped one off at the base where a conk was growing out the side.

If the trees went the other way a couple houses would have been wiped out.

Furby · December 16, 2006, 03:28:10 PM

Well I got to meet Turningfool today.

He stopped by and picked me up and we went out to look at the oak tree.
I got pics! ;D

Before I get to the tree, I gotta tell ya I also got to see the hat he is wearing in his avatar pic.
That is one cool piece of turning. Never though you could do that whith cherry.

Now the tree.

Well we wrapped a rope around the tree at BH and then measured the rope. It came in at 176".
That is about 56" diameter.
The butt flair makes it look much bigger.

There is a large scar on one side that I'm guessing is a frost crack?
And a smaller one on the other side just above some rot.
I belive there is still some real nice lumber either side of all that.

Within less then a 100', there are two REAL nice White Oaks and an even bigger Red Oak that has several trunks.
These trees have been around a while. ;D

Riles · December 16, 2006, 06:09:18 PM

I think yer gonna need a bigger chainsaw...

SwampDonkey · December 16, 2006, 06:42:43 PM

I could picture you two looking at that big oak, all eyes. smiley_dizzy And here Furby was gonna fall it for ya with a 24" bar. :D :D :D Looks like it's been dead for a little while eh?

Just kidding. ;D 8)

Now that hat, that took some clever carving to make that happen. Turningfool, did you work your magic with air dry wood? I sliced some really thin cherry veneer on my band saw once, it was only 4 or 5 inches wide, square. I put one on the hot heater stove and watched it curl, never did crack though. I wonder where that piece ended up.

play safe. ;)

turningfool · December 16, 2006, 08:50:36 PM

for swampdonkey..not carved at all..made of one solid 150 pound block of black cherry on my lathe..lots of shavings and about 7 ounces left before bending and ovaling of the crown..unfortunately heads are not round..fun to make too!

turningfool · December 16, 2006, 08:52:22 PM

apologies to all on here..

turns out the oak i mentioned is not that big..but it sure looks like a monster to me

Brad_S. · December 16, 2006, 09:03:29 PM

TF,
I've gotten phone calls about "humongous, 3' diameter" walnut trees only to find it to be some scraggly toothpick of a tree, so I take all claims of size with a grain of salt. You, however, have nothing to apologize for in my book. That is truly an impressive tree and I certainly would have over estimated it as well!