Best method for falling dead standing timber?

[Burvol]

Like Tramp said, it's dangerous. I hope you didn't take offense to the Cream of Wheat avitar...I figured maybe you were a chef or something :monkey:

I'm not a mean guy at all, and I hope you learn a bunch from the old hands on this site. I just stressed the danger of it, and where you are at. It's like going from knot bumper to timber faller in one day, ya know? You have infamously dangerous ground and timber in your area, hope you have fun and hook up with some good guys. Take care and be safe- Burv

 

[GASoline71]

Best method to fall dead snags... is... to have someone else do them.

Someone with experience in doin' just that. If you have to ask about how to do it... You should prolly be lookin' for someone with experience to do it. Then learn from them.

I hate fallin' big dead stuff... So when we happen along on big, dead, punky, standing death trees... I call my buddy Dave in Arlington, WA. Dave is the man when it comes to fallin' dead stuff. He actually trains fallers here in western WA in the art of fallin' snags and hazard trees. WA State parks and rec has called ol' Dave to take unsafe big Old Growth Dougies out of campgrounds.

Gary

 

[Kupreanof]

No sweat, nobody wants to encourage somebody to be stupid and then have it go South. Of course the less they know the more likely things are to go South in the first place, so not helping them can go both ways.

That said there is a big difference between asking how to do it in order to learn to do it properly from the comforts of civilization, and standing under the tree with a blackberry asking for help. I would hope that anybody in the latter case would talk them off the bridge they're trying to jump off of and in the former case would help to educate them enough to go out in the field with those with experience and learn to give it a whirl.

I want to use the wood, so punky, rotten, or even questionable wood is out. Not saying that the whole tree will be sound, but you can bet if the base isn't, I'm not cutting it.

 

[Burvol]

The respect is what we're all talking about. Yes, you know people do it, and a lot of things are possible with the right skills. You definetly posses the ambition to get in there, and that is good. The shear magnitude of "the event of falling timber" (what could be considered big wood, I guess) is amazing. It is an artform that can breed machoism, but it demands respect at all times and is important to be a grounded individual. You never totally have control over it, but you can posses a great handle on things if you know what I mean.

I really don't even know where to begin from reading your last post. By the sound of it, your stand needs some cleanin' up. You might not want to tackle the ugly hazards, but they will tackle you; espically during/after you cut around them.

Find one of the guys that Tramp mentioned.

 

[bitzer]

Thoroughly inspect the tree and go through the process before you do anything. Deep face, bore it, cut the strap from as far back as possible and look up. Always look up, never turn your back on a tree that you are felling, esp. a dead one. I have little experience with felling dead softies, esp. big ones, but have hundreds of hours in felling dead hard woods. In my experience you don't want much hinge and make sure your cuts line up. You don't want your back cut lower than your gunning cut. The less wedging the better. I can usually put a dead one where I want it and have been able to swing them, but it is a tricky propostion. I had two today that didn't co operate. One had no fiber pull in the hinge. It just broke off and went 90 degrees off lay. Every nearby tree grabbed a branch and threw it at me. Good fun. I don't know if it was frozen or what, but it just went. Keep your ears open too and be ready to pin the throttle when you have too. Otherwise leave them alone or get someone else to do it. They are not worth it if you don't have to deal with them.

 

[forestryworks]

carefully.

and ALWAYS looking up.

you'll never know what's coming if you don't look.

 

[GASoline71]

The respect is what we're all talking about. Yes, you know people do it, and a lot of things are possible with the right skills. You definetly posses the ambition to get in there, and that is good. The shear magnitude of "the event of falling timber" (what could be considered big wood, I guess) is amazing. It is an artform that can breed machoism, but it demands respect at all times and is important to be a grounded individual. You never totally have control over it, but you can posses a great handle on things if you know what I mean.

I really don't even know where to begin from reading your last post. By the sound of it, your stand needs some cleanin' up. You might not want to tackle the ugly hazards, but they will tackle you; espically during/after you cut around them.

Find one of the guys that Tramp mentioned.

One of the best posts I've read in a long time Burvy...

Gary

 

[Jacob J.]

In addition to all the things guys are saying here, remember that softwoods in SE Alaska have weak and sometimes unstable root systems when the trees are green and healthy, and they fall apart fast when they die.

I went up in the '90's and it was common for trees to pull their whole root systems out while going over. Guys were either tangled up in the ball and crushed or thrown in front of the tree.

 

[056kid]

i have been wacked by locust several times.

one 20 or so lb piece grazed my back enough to ram me into the ground, the other was a little twig, it split my head open cause it fell from about 40 feet. . .

A big 450 lb chunk of sponge like rot from 60 feet will smush you like an Italin making wine. . .

 

[tramp bushler]

. I wish I could have a look at your timber to see what is safe and what is real bad ...... I,m real serious about the corks ... When you gotta go , ya gotta go NOW . and corks are the only thing that will get you going ........ I do recomend snaggin your strip .. IE falling the snags the way they lean if possible just to get them on the ground ..Especially if they lean heavily ...... I,ve had lots of snags come down in my strips all by them selves . .... Also , if you can keep from opening up your beach fringe it will sure help you !! they help push the wind up and over the trees that are inside the fringe ......... ............Did you get land down the Narrows from Papkey's Landing on the Kupreanof side ???

 

[Kupreanof]

We're actually inland quite a ways. We are the farthest inland in the area. The shore fringe is much much thicker, much bigger and thicker stuff than we have. We have stuff up slope a ways that is big and crowded, but ours are all in the open around muskeg. But that makes it easy to go with the lean and not worry about hanging it up in something. The wind tears through it all the time as it's on a saddle between two mild drainages where one butts up to the mountains and the other down more towards the shore, so it funnels the wind currents through our spot and right against the mountain. There is a big difference between our timber and that on the hills and down by the shore. I fully intend on getting into the big stuff eventually, but not for a good while, and then only the green stuff. For one thing the whole roadless suit needs to work it's way through the courts and/or Washington first...

The comment about the root systems is absolutely true and clearly a big hazard. Most of the overburden is either extremely shallow (thus the pancake roots system) or mush like around the muskeg, and therefore not prone to retaining the roots. We have a solid sand/rock/clay layer down 4-7 feet or so right around us, but up on the hills the overburden is very shallow and trees are occasionally uprooted by wind and water. We actually had a green leaner pine that was at about a 45 degree angle and split up the first 8 feet or so (pre-barber chaired). The roots held it in place at that angle which is quite amazing considering the length and girth of the thing (about 50'-28" with almost no taper). I took it down with all the leaners last year.

 

[tramp bushler]

Kupreanof , How you makin out ??

I was talkin to Larry Young in Petersburg last week end . He,s workin for Reid Timber / Sand and Gravel .. I logged for Reid's in 83 . Jim Reid is hands down one of the 5 best all around Faller/Logger/operators I have ever met ... One of the nicest people I,ve ever met also ......
.
. Have fun , Be careful ...

 

[Huskyman4k]

Follow these guy's advice man, you wont get any better.
you want two pair of eyes and a 6th sense to do this safely, take your time and if it is all going too good, stand back and have a good look because sure as eggs something will go wrong & I hope your one the ball and ready for it when it does.
Good luck & post a pic if you can