Here in SE PA we have a serious pest problem with the Spotted Lantern Fly causing township by township quarantine on transporting any wood, brush, building supplies, any equipment that was used on field or wood (like any lawn mowers?), vehicles that have been driven on field, lawn or woods, . . . from one to another. Of course the quarantine is totally unenforced, because to do so would pretty much stop all commerce.
But, but, but - the Tree of Heaven, also an invasive specie is an attractant of the Spotted Lantern Fly. So, I decided to cut one down near to, and leaning over my equipment shed. I threw a guide line up and caught a bulge in the trunk about 40' up and pulled a static line up, tied it off and hooked to a come-along well down into the woods in the opposite direction. The tree is the one in the center of this picture, about 16" DBH, and green and growing last fall when I observed all the SLF around it.
With the guide rope set, and my son prepared to crank some tension on it once I opened the face cut, I started cutting and dressing up the face for a clean, directional fall into the woods. It didn't happen. I often post video of my cutting, and am usually happy with my results. Not this one:
This tree kind of reverse barbered on me from the face cut. Fortunately, the guide rope, and maybe even me yelling for my son to pull, pull, pull steered it to about 100° off my intended path, where it hung up in an oak tree. Better than 180° where it would have dissected my equipment shed.
I was very confused, my face cut was less than a third of the way thru the tree. Up close, I see the tree was only solid on the side I was cutting, and on the back side, where I intended to make the back cut the wood was dead, dry, almost crystallized. There was no evidence on the bark, or on the growth of the tree last year to suggest this.
Only a couple feet up the trunk, the tree is solid (at least as solid as this junk wood ever grows) all the way across:
I share the kind of embarrassing video as a reminder to always have your escape route identified, and plan for the unplanned.
It was easy enough, but time consuming to pull the tree down with the come-along and it landed in a convenient spot to cut it up.
Now I have a Tree of Heaven log, worth almost nothing. I don't even know if just being cut down and dead makes it less attractive to the Spotted Lantern Fly or not.
All comments welcome, including ones pointing out what I did wrong.
But, but, but - the Tree of Heaven, also an invasive specie is an attractant of the Spotted Lantern Fly. So, I decided to cut one down near to, and leaning over my equipment shed. I threw a guide line up and caught a bulge in the trunk about 40' up and pulled a static line up, tied it off and hooked to a come-along well down into the woods in the opposite direction. The tree is the one in the center of this picture, about 16" DBH, and green and growing last fall when I observed all the SLF around it.
With the guide rope set, and my son prepared to crank some tension on it once I opened the face cut, I started cutting and dressing up the face for a clean, directional fall into the woods. It didn't happen. I often post video of my cutting, and am usually happy with my results. Not this one:
This tree kind of reverse barbered on me from the face cut. Fortunately, the guide rope, and maybe even me yelling for my son to pull, pull, pull steered it to about 100° off my intended path, where it hung up in an oak tree. Better than 180° where it would have dissected my equipment shed.
I was very confused, my face cut was less than a third of the way thru the tree. Up close, I see the tree was only solid on the side I was cutting, and on the back side, where I intended to make the back cut the wood was dead, dry, almost crystallized. There was no evidence on the bark, or on the growth of the tree last year to suggest this.
Only a couple feet up the trunk, the tree is solid (at least as solid as this junk wood ever grows) all the way across:
I share the kind of embarrassing video as a reminder to always have your escape route identified, and plan for the unplanned.
It was easy enough, but time consuming to pull the tree down with the come-along and it landed in a convenient spot to cut it up.
Now I have a Tree of Heaven log, worth almost nothing. I don't even know if just being cut down and dead makes it less attractive to the Spotted Lantern Fly or not.
All comments welcome, including ones pointing out what I did wrong.