how to fix my mess up

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Many of these dying Ash trees are placing us in danger!!! I cut one today that went exactly the opposite direction of my planned fall. A nice notch cut and wedges still didn't work. Fortunately it fell clear of other trees and made it all the way to the ground without damage!!!!
 
Theres a good chance that you cant get a tractor or a high horse power any thing, in there because of other trees and or stumps.
And,. most people don't have a tractor at there disposal anyway. depending on your case,..Personaly Id use a quality cumalong. NO harbor freight china junk applied here.. ancor to another trunk/stump and pull it apart at the split.
If you don't own or cant borrow one, A GOOD ONE,. go rent a 3 ton chain cum along. add a couple lengths of chain to the link so your back far enough for a quick getaway and geterdun.. jmo
 
Many of these dying Ash trees are placing us in danger!!! I cut one today that went exactly the opposite direction of my planned fall. A nice notch cut and wedges still didn't work. Fortunately it fell clear of other trees and made it all the way to the ground without damage!!!!
Ash trees at least in my woods are long and straight with few branches which makes it tricky to find where it wants to go without being persuaded .
 
Maybe cut with less wind..? Of course this time of year it can be hard to come by but, if you can afford it just wait for a better day.
 
Cutting on a windy day can be as tricky, if not worse, than cutting a bad leaner on a calm day. A fully leafed crown in the wind is even worse, and can turn deadly very quickly.
 
How ever it came down, one thing I would never have done is leave it on the stump to come down on it's own. I could have killed any number of critters, or somebody. Before I left that spot that one it would have been on the ground one way or another. I personally think leaving it was extremely irresponsible, but it worked out for you.
 
How ever it came down, one thing I would never have done is leave it on the stump to come down on it's own. I could have killed any number of critters, or somebody. Before I left that spot that one it would have been on the ground one way or another. I personally think leaving it was extremely irresponsible, but it worked out for you.


I think you may be in the minority opinion on this one.
 
I think you may be in the minority opinion on this one.


That I wouldn't doubt. Not the first time, but that tree would have been on the ground before I left the woods. But I go with my tractor, chain, just everything I would need to get it down. Including a chain come-a-long.
 
That I wouldn't doubt. Not the first time, but that tree would have been on the ground before I left the woods. But I go with my tractor, chain, just everything I would need to get it down. Including a chain come-a-long.


I don't disagree at all with the statement it's better for trees to be safely on the ground rather than hanging dangerously. But, I would definitely say that can be dependent on operator and tools at hand. If the OP only had a saw with him and didn't have a good plan for overcoming that situation, then he absolutely made the right decision walking away and leaving it, rather than whittling away at it and potentially landing himself on the severely injured list. In no way was his decision, "extremely irresponsible."
 
I personally think leaving it was extremely irresponsible

I disagree. It was the last tree of the day, so daylight was probably an issue. He recognized that he was in over his head, he got on the computer and asked us for help and guidance, then went out the next day fix the problem.

The original problem was solved by time and gravity before he got there, but then he had a new problem. Again, he sought our collective wisdom and went back to deal with the tree, but this time wind and gravity had taken care of it.

No one (including the OP) would argue that this wasn't a dangerous situation but, given his knowledge, experience, daylight, and available tools, I think he handled this in a very responsible way.
 
I don't disagree at all with the statement it's better for trees to be safely on the ground rather than hanging dangerously. But, I would definitely say that can be dependent on operator and tools at hand. If the OP only had a saw with him and didn't have a good plan for overcoming that situation, then he absolutely made the right decision walking away and leaving it, rather than whittling away at it and potentially landing himself on the severely injured list. In no way was his decision, "extremely irresponsible."


We just differ with that issue. To me it was just that to leave it hanging, but maybe we should go back to cutting it on a windy day to begin with. I stopped more that once or twice from cutting because on the wind. But that's just me. Some things bother me that doesn't bother others folks.
 
How ever it came down, one thing I would never have done is leave it on the stump to come down on it's own. I could have killed any number of critters, or somebody. Before I left that spot that one it would have been on the ground one way or another. I personally think leaving it was extremely irresponsible, but it worked out for you.
If the tree is in a populated area I would definitely have came back immediately and flagged it off. But telling him to go against gut feeling and drop it without proper tools in a situation he is uncomfortable in is extremely irresponsible.
 
Flagging is a good thing. You can even buy it with DANGER on it.

The trouble I found is that yeah, the fallers carry that flagging. But they also use it to flag trees they need painted before falling, easy ways to walk into the units, and anything else. So, you run into DANGER TREE flagging and have to figure out what it is for. But it is a good thing to have along with you and cheaper than a lawsuit. Chances are nobody is using it frivolously in your area.
 
Ash trees at least in my woods are long and straight with few branches which makes it tricky to find where it wants to go without being persuaded .
The ashes around here are dying from ash yellows, not EAB (yet). By the time they waste away they're often rather dangerous - lots of rotten stuff up top to fall on your head, and often weak and punky stuff down below too. I was working on a multiple trunk ash one time, and just as the one I was cutting started to fall, a larger trunk I had not touched yet just broke off right next to me. Surprise! It looked good but was gone inside - you can bet I tap on all the trunks before I cut one now!
 

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