tree md
Addicted to ArboristSite
The first tree looks pretty straight forward. If you have questionable limbs get a throw line in them then install a line and give them a good tug from a safe distance. Personally, if I see where a tree is going to hang up or brush another tree and put me in jeopardy or damage a neighboring tree I will climb it and trim it for clearance before I drop it.
On the second tree I would think long and hard before you attempt to drop it if you don't have any experience with trees hung up and under tension. There is a lot that can go wrong with trees like that. They are risky even for a pro. Ideally you would have a larger neighboring tree to install a bull line in and tie the tree off near the top of the hanger. You climb the neighboring tree, run your bull rope around a couple of sturdy limbs, tie in, swing over to the hanging tree and tie it off with a running bowline. Once on the ground you and a helper would pull out all the slack that you can and suck the hanger up to the neighboring tree then get a couple of wraps around a tree or port-a-wrap a safe distance away. The you make undercuts to unload the tension, being watchful of falling limbs from above. usually after taking off two 4 or 5 foot sections the tension will be unloaded from the tree and it will be suspended and hanging from the neighboring tree. Then you have the man on the rope lower the tree as you cut sections off making sure that he doesn't lower it too much where it touches the ground and puts it back under tension. Work the tree from the bottom up until you can manage it and lay it on the ground, being careful not to take too much off and making it top heavy. That is the safest way I know to handle hangers.
However, I didn't see any neighboring trees in your pic that I would trust to hold the weight of your problem tree. You can make your under cuts without hanging it to another tree but that can be very tricky. The tree will be under tension until you get it on the ground. It's possible for it to roll out of the tree that it's hung in and squash you like a bug. It's also possible for it to remain hung in the tree even after you cut it up far enough to unload the tension and have the butt off the ground. Very dangerous to be working on the ground under a tree like that. At the very least you would need to have a line in the tree to pull it out from a safe distance with your loader in the event it remains hung up in the neighboring tree. I have seen pros hurt doing these types of trees. I saw one guy get hit in the chest and knocked on his ass when one sprung off the stub. Thankfully he was OK. I saw another guy get his foot smashed in the ground when one jumped off the stub and came down on his foot(not a pretty sight). Happens so fast that there is no time to react and get out of the way. Both of these guys were seasoned pros with lots of experience cutting trees under tension. It can be a lot more complicated than it appears. If you don't have much experience at cutting trees under tension I would just leave it alone and let mother nature take it's course; doesn't look like it would hurt anything if it did fall anyway. If you want to remove it for aesthetics just hire a pro. I wouldn't charge much to put that one on the ground and can't imagine anyone in your area would charge much either.
On the second tree I would think long and hard before you attempt to drop it if you don't have any experience with trees hung up and under tension. There is a lot that can go wrong with trees like that. They are risky even for a pro. Ideally you would have a larger neighboring tree to install a bull line in and tie the tree off near the top of the hanger. You climb the neighboring tree, run your bull rope around a couple of sturdy limbs, tie in, swing over to the hanging tree and tie it off with a running bowline. Once on the ground you and a helper would pull out all the slack that you can and suck the hanger up to the neighboring tree then get a couple of wraps around a tree or port-a-wrap a safe distance away. The you make undercuts to unload the tension, being watchful of falling limbs from above. usually after taking off two 4 or 5 foot sections the tension will be unloaded from the tree and it will be suspended and hanging from the neighboring tree. Then you have the man on the rope lower the tree as you cut sections off making sure that he doesn't lower it too much where it touches the ground and puts it back under tension. Work the tree from the bottom up until you can manage it and lay it on the ground, being careful not to take too much off and making it top heavy. That is the safest way I know to handle hangers.
However, I didn't see any neighboring trees in your pic that I would trust to hold the weight of your problem tree. You can make your under cuts without hanging it to another tree but that can be very tricky. The tree will be under tension until you get it on the ground. It's possible for it to roll out of the tree that it's hung in and squash you like a bug. It's also possible for it to remain hung in the tree even after you cut it up far enough to unload the tension and have the butt off the ground. Very dangerous to be working on the ground under a tree like that. At the very least you would need to have a line in the tree to pull it out from a safe distance with your loader in the event it remains hung up in the neighboring tree. I have seen pros hurt doing these types of trees. I saw one guy get hit in the chest and knocked on his ass when one sprung off the stub. Thankfully he was OK. I saw another guy get his foot smashed in the ground when one jumped off the stub and came down on his foot(not a pretty sight). Happens so fast that there is no time to react and get out of the way. Both of these guys were seasoned pros with lots of experience cutting trees under tension. It can be a lot more complicated than it appears. If you don't have much experience at cutting trees under tension I would just leave it alone and let mother nature take it's course; doesn't look like it would hurt anything if it did fall anyway. If you want to remove it for aesthetics just hire a pro. I wouldn't charge much to put that one on the ground and can't imagine anyone in your area would charge much either.
