Advice needed for big redwoods

[2dogs]

I have to take this and 3 other redwood trees down in the next week or two. Where the flagging is the tree is about 9' in diameter. 20" up it forks into 2 stems. The tree is about 160' to 175' tall. The problem is it is an old growth that fire has burned out, probably several times. You can see there is not much rind holding the tree up near the ground and I am guessing it has extensive heart rot. The cavity is about 5' high.

It is also near a building. And the owner wants to salvage as much wood as possible. Plus it is on the bank of a small river that we can not drive in at all even though it is just gravel.

My plan, assuming I can't talk the owner out of salvaging the tree, is to climb it and take it out in 8' to 12' long pieces with a lowering device. Otherwise I could fall it into the hill behind it a pull it down with a dozer. That is what I am going to do with the tree on the far right and the leaner behind the building.

Am I missing something here? Any other ideas? BTW it took over 4 months to get a permit from the county. We wanted to take down 20+ redwoods and were granted 4.

 

[clearance]

Your idea is right, fall it uphill and yard it back down with a cat or whatever. Don't be lowering logs out of it, thats just silly.

 

[blackoak]

I have to take this and 3 other redwood trees down in the next week or two. Where the flagging is the tree is about 9' in diameter. 20" up it forks into 2 stems. The tree is about 160' to 175' tall. The problem is it is an old growth that fire has burned out, probably several times. You can see there is not much rind holding the tree up near the ground and I am guessing it has extensive heart rot. The cavity is about 5' high.

It is also near a building. And the owner wants to salvage as much wood as possible. Plus it is on the bank of a small river that we can not drive in at all even though it is just gravel.

My plan, assuming I can't talk the owner out of salvaging the tree, is to climb it and take it out in 8' to 12' long pieces with a lowering device. Otherwise I could fall it into the hill behind it a pull it down with a dozer. That is what I am going to do with the tree on the far right and the leaner behind the building.

Am I missing something here? Any other ideas? BTW it took over 4 months to get a permit from the county. We wanted to take down 20+ redwoods and were granted 4.

Wow, I would give my left nut to be there and watch you take them down. What saw are you going to use to do this and what size bar? Good luck and please post some pictures of you doing it. I can not imagine taking on a job like that.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

Get into some solid wood and put it up the hill, that is where your longest ground is, to the left of the bluff. It should be solid above the cat face, redwood is pretty good about staying solid.

 

[forestryworks]

springboards?

 

[Jacob J.]

Get into some solid wood and put it up the hill, that is where your longest ground is, to the left of the bluff. It should be solid above the cat face, redwood is pretty good about staying solid.

+1. You're talking about lowering big wood and you'd most likely need a crane for that. Manhandling wood that size with a lowering device is a real pain in the a55 and dangerous to boot. I've done big Pine with a GCRS and almost lost an arm doing it.

Once it's on the hill you can buck it into the lengths you need and pull it down, or pull the stem down and buck lengths out of it once you get it near the bottom. I'm not envious of this job, it's going to be real tricky.

 

[RDT]

:jawdrop:

 

[Gologit]

Another vote for dropping it up the hill. I don't know much about lowering wood but how heavy would a 12' piece be? And how controllable would it be if it started to run?

 

[Frank Boyer]

When are you going to drop it. I would love to see that. I am a few miles from you. Looks like Felton or Boulder Creek.

 

[056kid]

I have seen pictures where hollow redwoods had steel plates bolted to the tree with cable connecting them. Used for a hinge since wood wasent there.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

I wanted to add, if you do put it up the hill, snipe the stump (I assume you know what I mean) so that the butt of the tree slips off and hits before the top does - much better chace of saving out that brittle redwood.
Also, the catface is on the bluff side of the tree, it will want to go over that cat face, another reason to get up into some solid wood above the CF.

 

[forestryworks]

i'm assuming a gap face is gonna work better in this situation?

 

[treejunkie13]

I have seen pictures where hollow redwoods had steel plates bolted to the tree with cable connecting them. Used for a hinge since wood wasent there.

I would like 2 c that.

& pics of this job gettin done 2, vary few people get 2 play with trees like that.

 

[2dogs]

Get into some solid wood and put it up the hill, that is where your longest ground is, to the left of the bluff. It should be solid above the cat face, redwood is pretty good about staying solid.

Most of this old growth has burned in the past and has heart rot and shatters length wise. Any stumps are all hollow.

As you can see from the pic the tree is hollow at the base. You can see right through to the other side. The tree is standing on a rind maybe a foot thick , open to the front by 5 feet and to the back by 2 feet. There is no hinge wood in the burned out core where the heart should be. I would have to wrap the tree with chain once or twice above the cut and then make my face cut 6' to 8' above the ground. Ripping the union seems out of the question since the tree would come apart.

Another alternative, the one I would normally choose, would be to fall the tree into the river by facing the tree by cutting into the semicircle of rind. The problem is if the tree breaks apart it would fall onto the building. I could pull it from across the river. The problem is getting the tree out of the river before the fish cops show up.

I think I will have to pull it even if I fall it up the hill. That will take 300 or so feet of rope or wire rope but I have that much and more.

BTW the next tree is a 4' fir that had a big conch growing on it till it recently fell off. The tree is growing like a cork screw and is within striking distance of a brand new very large building. After that tree are a few head leaners, both redwood and fir.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

I think the first thing I would do is get up above the catface and bore it, there you can see what you have to work with.
From the pic, it looks like the marm on the left has enough of a lean to go up the hill, but it may look different in person.
But, no matter where she leans it will wanna go over the cat face, that is why I was hoping you would have have solid wood above the cat face.
Have I lost you yet?

 

[2dogs]

I think the first thing I would do is get up above the catface and bore it, there you can see what you have to work with.
From the pic, it looks like the marm on the left has enough of a lean to go up the hill, but it may look different in person.
But, no matter where she leans it will wanna go over the cat face, that is why I was hoping you would have have solid wood above the cat face.
Have I lost you yet?

I'm with you 100%. I should have bored it yesterday but I didn't have any climbing gear with me.
Edited to add: I don't even have a flip line long enough to go around this tree.

 

[Cowboy Billy]

It would be great if you could set up a video camra and tape it as you take it down. I would love to see it come down.

Billy

 

[2dogs]

It would be great if you could set up a video camra and tape it as you take it down. I would love to see it come down.

Billy

No Way. I don't want to show my whimpering as I start the job.

 

[tomtrees58]

Your idea is right, fall it uphill and yard it back down with a cat or whatever. Don't be lowering logs out of it, that's just silly.

your no tree guy yes you can rig it too the other trees or private message me i can tell you more tom trees

 

[slowp]

No Way. I don't want to show my whimpering as I start the job.

It isn't whimpering. It is called, going over the plan with yourself in an emotional way. I know nothing about such trees, so I can only wish you good luck and have your escape figured out.