Dangerous Tree Comes Down

[Bushmans]

We were cutting some dead ash today and came across this guy. It had a horizontal crack about 5 foot up the tree.
We were not sure how far the crack came through the tree so it was decided to cut the wedge above the crack. We didn't want the tree to break in half once it started to move. A strong lean to the left didn't help matters.
In hindsight I think we should have cut it down at the base like normal. This is an example of how things can go wrong when cutting a tree. I'm just glad he got it on the ground without getting hurt. Trees are so unpredictable! It pinched down on it's own wedge before it could come out.
I wish I had come across this particular situation in all my time here on AS.



It filled up the truck!

 

[Bushmans]

The stump

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[demc570]

nice video,glad no one got hurt,thanks for sharing!!!!

 

[ash man]

Tough one. Like you said probably hind sight being 20-20 probably should have tackled that tree a little lower, not to be cutting at head level. Over the last 11 years I've got tons of dead ash hung up in a tight wood I have been cutting out of. Scarey to.

 

[OH_Varmntr]

Glad to see/hear everything went well.

I'm not much for turning away from a challenge, but I've passed up a few questionable trees in the middle of nowhere. I also passed on taking down a 60' elm in my front yard yesterday as it just didn't feel right.

No shame in leaving one upright.

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[demc570]

well as for me speaking of my self,i think i know where its going and whats going to happen,but sometimes they do the opposite,and i not a professional by no means!!! i remember one time my brother and i cleared some ground for his lake,and he pushed some dog woods and others in a pile...when we got done i decided to cut some of the dogwood for firewood,it had what looked like small bend to it,so i started cutting,abouut half way thru my gut said step back and cut the rest of the cut with tip of bar,and i started to finish the cut and bamm that thing had so much force on it,it snapped sprung out and just grazed my jeans at the knee cap,it would of been bad day,if i didnt listen to my gut feeling'

 

[Metals406]

The stump

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Ummm -- that's a really ugly stump. Especially on a sketchy snag.

Do you always farmer cut?

It's never a good idea to beaver like that on a sound tree, let alone a snag. Y'all should leave them one's alone, and go after the easy ones.

Glad nobody died!

 

[ash man]

Bushman. I've got a big 5-6' at the base white oak left to cut at a buddies place I'm clearing for him to farm. I saved it for last cause I think its hollow and my 7900 only has a 28" bar and I'm going to have to go at it from all angles. Im not real comfortabe with doing it, but im obligated to cut it down. I [ATT ACH=full]324912[/ATTACH] feel your pain.

 

[Chris-PA]

It is hard to tell and I wasn't there, but it looked like something went rather wrong with the face cut - tried to make it too deep and it was too high, leading to a dutchman? I used to make quite a few dutchmen, but I started marking my lines on the tree and it has helped. They're dropping more accurately and leaving an even hinge.

 

[c5rulz]

To OP,

Glad you didn't get hurt.

I don't know what to say or where to start regarding that stump. But you finished it off in style with the sloping back cut.opcorn:

 

[Bushmans]

The crack in the tree was right across from the face cut. It went through2bfar enough that it acted as a back cut. We never farmer cut but in this instance it was used to help keep the tree from slipping off backwards. Wasnt sure what to do at that point

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[zogger]

Certainly a strange tree. I honestly can't say how I would do it, even with the vids and pics. I know I don't like lifting a saw and cutting high though.

 

[cantoo]

I also am on the fence about cutting high like that. I cut a big rotten maple down a couple of years ago and everyone there suggested I cut it high. I was not comfortable cutting something up close to my face so I cut it at normal height. There was hardly any sound wood left but the tree fell perfectly, well perfectly considering it was rotten. There are at least a dozen more like it to cut and I will likely cut them the same way. Just too many things to go wrong at that height and if they do your options are pretty limited. Some day they will make a remote control chainsaw or maybe a high hoe with an attachment on it that clamps on and cuts trees down.....

 

[lfnh]

Yup.
Close call.
Slopping backcuts are of no value, specially for stumpshot.
Riparian + useless dead soft maple = wildlife tree.
Not worth the gas or a life.

 

[bootboy]

Since it was fire wood, I would have walked away.

If it NEEDED to come down, I would have brought a bigger bag of tricks. I would have put a binder on the trunk and gone with a much lower face and bore cut it.

If the compromised part of the trunk was holding the weight of the tree, leave it alone. Cut it lower where there is less compromise and the chance of the your notch functioning the way it should is greater.

I can see the reasoning for the farmer cut, but think about this: if the tree had slipped back on the stump, even a little, it would have pinched your saw something fierce. Then what?

In the end, there is no advantage to the farmer cut.

Live and learn tho.

 

[hseII]

Bushman. I've got a big 5-6' at the base white oak left to cut at a buddies place I'm clearing for him to farm. I saved it for last cause I think its hollow and my 7900 only has a 28" bar and I'm going to have to go at it from all angles. Im not real comfortabe with doing it, but im obligated to cut it down. I [ATTView attachment 324912 ACH=full]324912[/ATTACH] feel your pain.

Beg, Borrow, rent, or hire another saw.

Obligations are not worth getting hurt over


"100% of Home Invasions Occur in a Home" - Sharpsburg

 

[slowp]

You are NEVER obligated to cut down a tree that you are uncomfortable about. That's like a Prime Directive.

 

[Metals406]

You are NEVER obligated to cut down a tree that you are uncomfortable about. That's like a Prime Directive.

Yup.
Close call.
Slopping backcuts are of no value, specially for stumpshot.
Riparian + useless dead soft maple = wildlife tree.
Not worth the gas or a life.

THIS!^^^^^

 

[Jim Timber]

Black powder?

I cringed watching that video, and I'm certainly no pro faller either.

 

[slowp]

Two production fallers fell a tree that was splitting up from the roots. I watched and did traffic control. They took a wrapper and wrapped the tree above where they were going to cut-- they had a binder to tighten and hold it. The cutting was the fast part. They chose to cut it like a normal tree and it behaved as a normal tree and fell where they wanted it to go.

It was a father and son team and both had years of experience as fallers.