im no pro...

[smokin berlinet]

ok so i am new to this site....i have been running a saw for about 12 yrs, i am no pro at this, but i am confident with a saw. I have probably felled a few hundred trees from inches to feet in diameter. I can usually land a tree withing 5-8 ft of were i want it to go. I am from the east but i am currently stationed in idaho.... last year i was out cutting firewood and found a nice 24" tree to fell. It was on a decent sloped hill, leaning down hill, so i picked a 10ft opening between some trees for it to land. So i double checked how i planned on doing it, and made my face cut. The i made my back cut and the tree started to relieve pressure from the bar as it tipped downhill, then (thanks to the Air Force embedding "Know everything whats going on around you") i noticed the tree come back, then i pulled the saw out and ran paralell from my face cut, the tree fell 180* from my face cut, straight back on my back cut. why? It could have been the wind, its always blowing here, but it wasn't too bad that day, and i had felled 4 trees before it about the same size. What did i do wrong? I am very anal about felling trees, i feel confident to do it, never had this happen. I have since dropped 30+ trees and had not had this happen. Any one care to educate me if i did do something wrong? Thanks in advance...

 

[TreePointer]

You already mentioned wind. Wind can be different 100 ft. up.
Misjudged the lean because of the hillside?
Misjudged the center of mass of the canopy, which can be different than the lean of the trunk.
Entanglements with other tree canopies or vines?

 

[smokin berlinet]

definetly not a pro

i know i did not misjudge the canopy lean, the tree was almost perfectly leaning towards my goal pocket, the wind could have been it, but i don't belive so because it was a mild idaho wind, very mild. It was free of any entanglements until it would of been 1/2 way to the ground. I am very anal on judging my face cut and judging the tree. I would not misinterperet the trunk lean with the canopy, this is why i am so confused with why it went backwards. It wasn't rotten or anything. thanks for your input. anymore would be greatly appreciated.

 

[smokin berlinet]

im no pro

Treepointer, what part of western PA are you from? Im from Warren, by bradford/corry/jamestown ny area.

 

[TreePointer]

Treepointer, what part of western PA are you from? Im from Warren, by bradford/corry/jamestown ny area.

Far western PA in Lawrence County (Amish country). I'd love to be in Bradford right now--almost 10°F cooler at the moment. Bigger whitetails, too!

 

[RandyMac]

Do you use plastic wedges in the backcut?

 

[apattie]

I'm no expert either, but if it was leaning alot, then sometimes you need to made side cuts to relieve the pressure on the tree.

 

[RandyMac]

Explain these "side cuts"

 

[haveawoody]

My guess is the cut to fell went beyond the hinge, it rocked forward then wind or natural canopy weight set it in motion back.
It's very difficult to have a notched tree go backwards with the hinge intact, but it can happen on gusty wind days or very rotten trees.

 

[Patrick62]

don't believe everything you see!

hill sides can play tricks on ya. Happens with me as well. Last week I tried to put one that was "obviously" leaning that-a-way. It sat back on the back cut. Darn.... Tried to "back fall" it... missed my truck by inches, missed my buddy's truck, and almost smashed a saw. Total screw up on my part :bang:

Your tree was probably leaning backwards a bit, or.... it was close to perfectly balanced and a small puff of wind altered it's position.

I do take some pride in dropping them where I want them to go, and read my stumps to try and improve my "currently debatable" skills of notching...

-Pat

 

[sun64]

I had a swamp gum go back on me last year. It was around 22 metres tall ( around 75 ) and only 350 mm ( 14 )" wide at the base.
I believe it was a slight gust of wind. It jamed my bar , not much room for my wedges after a face cut. Luckily I unbolted my saw and went to get my tractor and when I came back it had gone over backwards. Happened to me ?

You do not say when it went over how much of the hinge was left. As said before wether it was cut almost through.
I am also wondering , considering it is on a hill / slope, wether the tree had any tension in the wood, especially on the uphill side.
It may have developed it from the gravity or a wind factor. Just wondering if it suddenly released itself ?
Cheers sun64

 

[no tree to big]

a pic of the stump could help tell a tale...

if the cut opened up then closed I think the tree was not back leaning or back heavy if it was it would never have opened up unless the wind was blowing downhill and moved the tree a touch at the right time. which way was the wind blowing?


buy some wedges there cheap and come in real handy and would have prevented this

how big of a notch you cut?

 

[zogger]

I have to agree on the total weight, branch load versus trunk load and lean. It doesn't seem to matter a lot if the tree looks to be leaning one way when all the overhead and leveraged weight is behind that lean. It will go where the most weight is if it gets cut, and not wedging it hard.

Not an expert at all and still learning, but all that weight up there and the trunk as a lever..you can see what could happen.

 

[rwoods]

Been There

s b, hill sides can be tricky - at least for me. You swear something is straight up and down or leaning down hill and it isn't. About 15 years ago, I had an 18" oak on a wooded hill side do the exact thing you described; I wasn't using wedges either. I didn't pinch my saw. A little encouragement from something sent it over backwards. I simply misjudged the lean. I always carry wedges now. 15 years before that I cut completely* through a tall 6 to 7" black locust on the side of an open steep hill. It just sat there. Which way do you run when it can fall in any direction? I stayed close so I could side step it while I comtemplated what to do. Fortunately, I was able to manhandle it.

Ron

* I used to cut small trees the same as brush - no face cut. I now face cut even wee little trees.

 

[haveawoody]

sun64,

Oh yeah you know you got trouble on a fell cut that pinches the saw.
Running and saving the saw and running are the two options that come to mind

I think cutting on any incline should be like the carpenters axiem, measure twice and cut once.
Sure doesnt hurt to prune a bit with a pole saw before the fell cut to make sure a hill tree is going the way you plan.

 

[Jakers]

ive also had that happen. i some times wonder if a piece of string would help out on the hill sides, ya know, just to tell exactly where gravity says perfecly straight up and down is. i also use wedges religiously now. lots easier to pull your bar out of the wood when it starts to go

 

[smokin berlinet]

Still not a pro

Thanks for all the responses. I do not recall which way the wind was blowing, and i usually don't use wedges. I have had a few times when i start sawing and want to kick myself for not bringing them. As for my face cut, i usually cut 1/3 into the tree. I actually usually do face cuts on even small trees, i figure its practice and if i screw up i can man handle it to fix my screw up. Unfortionetly i don not have a picture of the stump. i am always too busy trying to get all the wood i can haul down on the ground and to the truck/trailer. Thanks again for all the responses

 

[TreePointer]

ive also had that happen. i some times wonder if a piece of string would help out on the hill sides, ya know, just to tell exactly where gravity says perfecly straight up and down is. i also use wedges religiously now. lots easier to pull your bar out of the wood when it starts to go

That's what I'm thinking--a makeshift "plumb bob."

 

[Gologit]

Thanks for all the responses. I do not recall which way the wind was blowing, and i usually don't use wedges. I have had a few times when i start sawing and want to kick myself for not bringing them. As for my face cut, i usually cut 1/3 into the tree. I actually usually do face cuts on even small trees, i figure its practice and if i screw up i can man handle it to fix my screw up. Unfortionetly i don not have a picture of the stump. i am always too busy trying to get all the wood i can haul down on the ground and to the truck/trailer. Thanks again for all the responses

Just stick a wedge in each back pocket. They'll save you some headaches.

 

[savageactor7]

sb, I'm thinking it was the wind as well. A leafed out tree can act like a big sail and catch the wind...now you're more experienced. And thank you for your service to the Republic.