Felling a tree for hardwood lumber

[bower4311]

I have access to a very nice 26" DBH white oak tree that I can have milled into lumber. I'm in my off-season and one of my co-workers spent most of his career in the tree business, clearing limbs near high voltage power lines and clear-cutting. He is a climber. I can have him do whatever I need to a tree.

I plan on bringing the tree to be milled. Is there any different way you fell a tree for hardwood lumber? It has very few limbs, is nice and straight, about a quarter of the way up is where the few limbs begin.

What do professionals do in this situation? Do they just drop the tree from the ground? Do they remove all the limbs? I will only be transporting 12' sections at the most, would it make more sense to have him top the tree and then work his way down? I just imagine there must be some structural damage that can happen to a tree when it hits the ground whole. I have been having a hard time finding information on the web about this subject. I do not want to consult my co-worker first since I know that wasn't his expertise. He either trimmed near power lines or clearcut for new power lines, I just want to get a second opinion.

Thank you.

 

[Marshy]

For production logging they just drop them (obviously). If the tree is sound it will have no problems taking a fall like that. It's possible to damage the log if you land it on a stump though. Also, any large branches or Y's in the top (if there is one) could cause it to split. If it lands just right. If you have the room just cut it so the log gets off the stump so if it hits a branch it will roll instead of the hinge holding the stump and causing it to twist and break the branch or the top in the tree. Good luck and remember, pics or it didn't happen.

 

[661Joe]

If he climbs/climbed for a liveing he will know what to do.. just have him run up it and take all the limbs out and leave the trunk as high as you want it. Either have him drop down take the whole thing at once if room permits or take two sections. A oak of that size is a tank if you break it when you drop it then its not worth milling anyhow. Good luck and the two of you be safe.

 

[olyman]

drop all limbs to ground,, and leave them there.. then drop trunk sections on said limbs.. cushions the fall....unless of course,, said limbs are large,, then dropping trunk on them may break trunk.....

 

[661Joe]

If you break a 26inch oak trunk then something is wrong... ive seen many times were the tree sinks a half foot in to the ground and is fine oak is hard. Ive personally dropped a 30ish inch trunk about 20ft long onto a golf course like yard and the next thing i knew it was a lake. Missdig was off by about 8 yards on the water main and we broke it.. log looked like it did before i dropped it. like i said if you break the log its junk anyhow. Youll be just fine if you drop it in the yard.. or on a nice brush pile as stated above.

 

[Mad Professor]

Way too much to cover in one post. Read up on felling. Hopefully the tree is sound, not a leaner, and can be felled in a safe direction.

Pay attention to your face/undercut and back/gunning cuts. Make sure the cuts for the undercut meet properly (not a sloping face or a gunning face) so it won't barber chair and it is wide enough to not close too soon which can also barber chair, depth ca 1/3-1/4 tree width. Make your back cut slightly above the undercut and preserve an equal width of hinge wood along the hinge. Have wedges handy and use them.

 

[bower4311]

If you break a 26inch oak trunk then something is wrong... ive seen many times were the tree sinks a half foot in to the ground and is fine oak is hard. Ive personally dropped a 30ish inch trunk about 20ft long onto a golf course like yard and the next thing i knew it was a lake. Missdig was off by about 8 yards on the water main and we broke it.. log looked like it did before i dropped it. like i said if you break the log its junk anyhow. Youll be just fine if you drop it in the yard.. or on a nice brush pile as stated above.

My concern wasn't seeing a physical break in the tree, my concern was that if a certain procedure wasn't taken to drop the tree "correctly" that there may be internal damage to the wood. Damage that would only be seen as the tree was being milled or even further after, when it is made into furniture. I don't know a lot about all of this, that is why I was wondering if there was a standard procedure for dropping a tree that will be turned into hardwood lumber.

Way too much to cover in one post. Read up on felling. Hopefully the tree is sound, not a leaner, and can be felled in a safe direction.

Pay attention to your face/undercut and back/gunning cuts. Make sure the cuts for the undercut meet properly (not a sloping face or a gunning face) so it won't barber chair and it is wide enough to not close too soon which can also barber chair, depth ca 1/3-1/4 tree width. Make your back cut slightly above the undercut and preserve an equal width of hinge wood along the hinge. Have wedges handy and use them.

I will not be making any cuts to drop the tree, that will be done by a professional. I was just wondering before I talked to him, if there was any certain way a tree was felled when it is being turned into hardwood lumber and if there was any risk of internal damage from felling a tree a certain way.

 

[Marshy]

Nothing any different than your would any other tree.

 

[Westboastfaller]

My concern wasn't seeing a physical break in the tree, my concern was that if a certain procedure wasn't taken to drop the tree "correctly" that there may be internal damage to the wood. Damage that would only be seen as the tree was being milled or even further after, when it is made into furniture. I don't know a lot about all of this, that is why I was wondering if there was a standard procedure for dropping a tree that will be turned into hardwood lumber.



I will not be making any cuts to drop the tree, that will be done by a professional. I was just wondering before I talked to him, if there was any certain way a tree was felled when it is being turned into hardwood lumber and if there was any risk of internal damage from felling a tree a certain way.

I don't use blend words like soda pop, ink pen, full skip, woods ported,hardwood lumber or softwood lumber unless I speak of the industry as a whole. Just do me a favor and never say full skip and I'll give you so much info you can nag onto your climbing friend that you two probably won't speak again?

Fiber pull could be a concern.

There are cuts that will send the butt of the tree to the ground faster that others.
If the top hits first then this will break the top section. It may break anyways?

 

[Mad Professor]

My concern wasn't seeing a physical break in the tree, my concern was that if a certain procedure wasn't taken to drop the tree "correctly" that there may be internal damage to the wood. Damage that would only be seen as the tree was being milled or even further after, when it is made into furniture. I don't know a lot about all of this, that is why I was wondering if there was a standard procedure for dropping a tree that will be turned into hardwood lumber.



I will not be making any cuts to drop the tree, that will be done by a professional. I was just wondering before I talked to him, if there was any certain way a tree was felled when it is being turned into hardwood lumber and if there was any risk of internal damage from felling a tree a certain way.

Yes! You don't want to barber chair the butt log and ruin it.

 

[Picaso]

good advice all- i know this isnt what you asked for, but it may help you- two things you might want to think about that affect the quality of your lumber, that are not based on the felling skill. 1) if the tree has grown with abnormal internal stress (pith widely off center is one indicator once cut) or has twist but isnt a spiral grain species (oak isnt) and 2) how good of a job that is done by the sawyer in cutting, stickering and ultimately kiln drying your lumber. all of these things can seriously degrade the value of the result if done the wrong way, especially with oak which can experience significant degrade if dried too fast.


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[olyman]

I don't use blend words like soda pop, ink pen, full skip, woods ported,hardwood lumber or softwood lumber unless I speak of the industry as a whole. Just do me a favor and never say full skip and I'll give you so much info you can nag onto your climbing friend that you two probably won't speak again?

Fiber pull could be a concern.

There are cuts that will send the butt of the tree to the ground faster that others.
If the top hits first then this will break the top section. It may break anyways?

..........................................................

 

[Marshy]

..........................................................

97 words, 40 useful... ******** ratio is 2.4:1

 

[olyman]

97 words, 40 useful... ******** ratio is 2.4:1

me thinks the ratio..is more like 100:1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! andddddddddd, I aint heard no boom out here!!!!

 

[Marshy]

me thinks the ratio..is more like 100:1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! andddddddddd, I aint heard no boom out here!!!!

I have a big block Mopar 440 that might help with that. I even have something I can put it into. That might do it.

 

[Westboastfaller]

Nothing any different than your would any other tree.

Here's 100% bullshìt

 

[olyman]

I have a big block Mopar 440 that might help with that. I even have something I can put it into. That might do it.

just so its loud enough,,to obliterate the sound of BS in this thread.....................

 

[Marshy]

Here's 100% bullshìt

That does not compute, please put that into a ratio.

 

[olyman]

That does not compute, please put that into a ratio.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Westboastfaller]

That does not compute, please put that into a ratio.

OK ..I'll play. I have to tweak the system a bit as you can't realy judge BS on single words even if @olyman was doing the writing.

Nothing any different than your would any other tree.

OK then..if you'd prefer.

This above statmen is 100% BS
or a 1:1 statement to BS statement ratio

Here's 100% bullshìt

^^^^^