Advice on a couple trees please

[sumpnz]

Got a couple trees I'd like so advice on.  One is a birch with a heavy lean.  Probably 40° from vertical.  High risk of hanging up in other trees.  See first 3 photos.

I don't climb trees.  For one I'm scared of heights.  Also I don't have climbing gear.  If I could climb it it would be fairly simply to limb on the way up, top it, and cut off enough of the trunk to get it clear of other trees and then drop the remainder.  

One worry I have about roping it and pulling it to one side is that being a birch the pith is almost certainly rotted out.  

Second tree is a big leaf maple that is splitting at a crotch.  Is this likely to be OK for many years to come, or does it need to be taken out?  If it needs to come down what's the safest way to cut it down?  See the last 2 pictures. 


 

 

 

 

 

[mike_belben]

If those were mine theyd have to go.  


Whats the proximity to fences, structures and utilities, what gear and equipment have you got and how competent are you at directional felling?

[Haleiwa]

If they were mine I would push them in the direction they want to go with an excavator.

[sprucebunny]

Ya, I'd drop them where they want to fall and drag them out of whatever they hang up in with an ATV, truck, tractor or come-along. Even if you have to chain a turning block to a tree or buy some ( good) rope.

That's if I couldn't get to them with an excavator....

[Skeans1]

Having done stuff like the first one you can fall that 90 degrees from the sweep without issues. 

Now to the fun one how far off the ground would you say the crotch is? In the past I'd cut cut steps into the stump with the possibility of putting a spring board in to stand on well cutting.

[sumpnz]

Unfortunately the mini-excavator we had rented went back 6 weeks ago.

I've cut down lots of trees, including big learner's before.  But those weren't at risk of hanging up in the direction they wanted to go.  

The birch isn't threatening anything besides the maple it would want to hang up in.  One arm of the maple is hanging over a new fence.  Tried to tell the wife we should take it out first but she wouldn't listen.  Now she wishes she had.

Got an MS-461 and a Husqvarna 350.  A couple come-alongs and a good amount of chain.  Also got some rope and a snatch block.

I'm OK with directional falling, but with a big lean I'm getting well out of my comfort zone for that.

[sumpnz]

Having done stuff like the first one you can fall that 90 degrees from the sweep without issues.

Now to the fun one how far off the ground would you say the crotch is? In the past I'd cut cut steps into the stump with the possibility of putting a spring board in to stand on well cutting.

Top of the crotch is probably 10-15' from the ground.

Help me out with technique for getting the birch to miss the maple please.  It only needs to go maybe 45° from the sweep.

[Skeans1]

@sumpnz 
If it was me there cutting it I'd more then likely put a Dutchman into a humboldt face with a thick hinge on the uphill side of the sweep using that root that's in the ground to help pull it around in between the tree on the left and the maple on the right.

[BargeMonkey]

The worst part of giving advice on dropping trees is everyone's got a diff opinion, none of them are bad. I would cut that birch at a comfortable height, reasonable open face notch in the direction of lean and cut from the back just a bit lower than your face cut, if you go to borecut or leave hold wood you can stick the saw, saw goes with the tree when it falls, BUT you want to send it because if you wait it could chair on you. 
 Is the seam in the maple all the way down ? Does it lean as a pair where it wont hit anything ? I've had hard maples in a yard before where I have chained them together. Biggest problem with those "2trees" in 1 is making sure the 1st one to go is cut off enough when the 2nd one goes. I would put a decent notch, bore cut the 1st leaner as much as I could, start from the back on the 2nd one and GO, basically making 2 tabs, keep cutting from the back till it goes in the direction of lean. If this makes any sense to you. Normally I would just reach over and swat them with the buncher 😆. 
 Leaving hold wood on the stump is great but not something I want to get into with someone who isnt cutting wood every day, can be good or bad. As long as your not going to smash something where they go and you've got a clear exit neither of them is to bad. 

[sumpnz]

@Skeans1 I see what you're suggesting.  That should work for the birch.  

@BargeMonkey - the seam on the maple goes almost to the ground.  One arm leans over the fence, other arm isn't going to damage anything.  Not sure how the overall lean would try to take it.  Have to look at it again.