Ruh Roh! Big Bad Blowdown!

[slowp]

I slapped paint on this tree on Monday so woodcutters could go at it. Two of the three local mills shut down for the week, and folks were out cutting. Two guys were working on this tree on Tuesday and Wednesday. I couldn't figure out why they weren't there today, then I got close enough to see and said, Ruh Roh!

The tree is a 5' diameter Douglas-fir. It blew over this winter. I guess they didn't start at the butt because the tree sunk in a bit from the impact. They were cutting from the top down.
http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=65010&stc=1&d=1203036549

Saw no blood or body parts (or body waste!)so I think the guys are ok and maybe having a beer somewhere...Here's some more pictures including the tree's buddy which will probably also go over soon. opcorn:

 

[Saucydog]

Damn I miss the left coast!

 

[HUSKYMAN]

Were they cutting from a ladder or something? The logs looks like it is pretty high in the air.

I guess no one taught them to undercut a leaner first to prevent splitting

 

[Gologit]

Still think hooktenders with chainsaws are dangerous? How 'bout greenchain pullers and forklift drivers?

 

[slowp]

Were they cutting from a ladder or something? The logs looks like it is pretty high in the air.

I guess no one taught them to undercut a leaner first to prevent splitting

It was a blowdown. It was on the ground. The trouble with these big trees is the rootwad is sooo heavy, that most folks will first cut close to the rootwad or the tree will try to stand up again sometimes...like this time.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

It was a blowdown. It was on the ground. The trouble with these big trees is the rootwad is sooo heavy, that most folks will first cut close to the rootwad or the tree will try to stand up again sometimes...like this time.

I see. I hope no one went for a ride

 

[Austin1]

hmm 5' That tree does not look 5' to me. Is that the top of it? I am not familiar with many tree's over 24'' but were I Elk hunt I park in front of a very big fir that is as wide as my hood on the truck a full size old Chevy square hood that is.
But I have seen a guy catch a tree under the chin once and it lifted him rather easily in much the same case.

 

[Burvol]

That's why I always chuckle and say, "Cut the hammers before they blow down!" Too bad, nice leave tree. Some premium firewood and great kindling.

 

[deerlakejens]

I had a similar experience after last year's December of 2006 windstorm. It laid over about a 135 ft. doug fir, perfectly parallel to the ground, with a huge rootball. Starting at the top and working my way down, I limbed and bucked till I had about 12 ft. left. It was getting dark enough that I could see sparks when I was cutting through the bark and I could feel the chain losing its sharpness, so I thought I'd quit and come back in the morning with a fresh chain. I had the 028 with a 20" bar so it was a lot of cutting from both sides to get to that point. Anyway, I had just shut the saw off and lifted my helmet when I heard tremendous crashing sound behind me. I dropped right there, thinking a tree was falling. When I stood up and looked back, it took me a few seconds to realize that the stump had set back up. First time I had ever experienced anything like that and was really happy I wasn't cutting when the weight shifted. I will say though that the wood from that fir has kept our house warm all winter, haven't had the furnace on for more than two hours total!

 

[2dogs]

P you always post great pics. Thanks again!

I'll tell you screwups do happen. Today I was taking down a 4' redwood and I got my face cut off a bit. I needed to drop the tree within a foot of the mark or lose it downhill. I made my horizontal cut and proceeded to foul up the diagonal cut. Now the face was off on the downhill side. It took about ten more cuts over 20 minutes to get the face right. I'm not a professional and it showed. At least my tree finally landed in the right spot. This was after I broke the first tree earlier in the day. I have some good pics to post once I figure out how to do it.

I have quite a few hazard trees to take down this spring as soon as the snow melts. They are on the bank of a river in sandy soil and tend to lift the root plate as they fall. These trees scare the heck out of me. I have been lifted by a rootplate and it was not a good feeling. Seeing these pics is gonna give me nightmares.

 

[slowp]

My big blowdown encounter story is rather mild. I just moved here in the 80's having worked all the time on the dry side of the mountains. I was put to work cruising blowdown and laying out sales of blowdown. I also would add in any standing ones that were loosened up. I was on flat ground so walking around to get a diameter with my tape, and all of a sudden the solid ground is gone. I've dropped about 4 feet into a crack I couldn't see. Instantly, all the earthquake movies where the ground closes up came to mind so I was able to hop out pretty quickly. And I still fear hooktenders more. I wasn't around when the woodcutters did this. Let me see, the one hooktender didn't ever drop a tree my way, but his driving on the snow!! Meeting the crummie on a slick road was always scary. It was often going sideways. Then he'd try to stop it, while sliding towards me...I'd put my pickup in reverse and am backing down as fast as I can, and he'd inform me that they were broke down and heading in. God help anybody in their way! He took out the cutters' pickup this winter. The cutter was very proud of his older pickup and it didn't havea dent in it, until he met...THE HOOKTENDER. By the way, that particular hooktender is now trying to work in a local mill. I think mills are way scarier than the woods.

 

[Cliff R]

Wow! It's hard to judge the size of that tree from the pics. Doesn't look to be over 24" at any point by looking at the photo's.

Don't you have some nice looking gal that could sit on the log while you shoot the photo's? Then we could check her out and at the same time get a better idea of how big that log really is? ....Cliff

 

[RiverRat2]

I said, Ruh Roh!

The tree is a 5' diameter Douglas-fir. It blew over this winter. I guess they didn't start at the butt because the tree sunk in a bit from the impact. They were cutting from the top down.

Saw no blood or body parts (or body waste!) so I think the guys are ok and maybe having a beer somewhere...Here's some more pictures including the tree's buddy which will probably also go over soon. opcorn:

That's because they Shat in their Pants and are stihl running,,,,LOL!!! I had a bout a 3' DBH oak blowdown's very large root ball/plate stand up on me with a 12' stump standing there when the ground quit moving a few years back but I had undercut a notch so the reverse barber chair didnt happen and we actually planned it so as to avoid having to haul sand across an adjacent rose garden,,,,,,, Sheesh it's still a scary feeing when the ground is moving under your feet :monkey: As my Brother Daniel says,,,,

"That will put $h!t in your neck or pants everytime!!!!!"

Good Post and thread slowp!!!

Keep the Photos coming!!!!!

 

[Cliff R]

The biggest tree on my property went down over the weekend during a high wind storm. It was a "lonesome" pine tree, apprx 3' in diameter, pretty big for any tree in these parts. It snapped off at the base, leaving the root system in the ground, sounding like someone set off a stick of dynamite outside the basement door!......Cliff

PS: I'll see if I can get some good looking gal to sit on the log while I take a few pics to post!

:camera:

 

[Burvol]

Wow! It's hard to judge the size of that tree from the pics. Doesn't look to be over 24" at any point by looking at the photo's.

Don't you have some nice looking gal that could sit on the log while you shoot the photo's? Then we could check her out and at the same time get a better idea of how big that log really is? ....Cliff

That's the way big timber looks from a distance. I have been fooled many times until I got right up to the base of a paticular tree.

 

[litefoot]

Wow! It's hard to judge the size of that tree from the pics. Doesn't look to be over 24" at any point by looking at the photo's.

Don't you have some nice looking gal that could sit on the log while you shoot the photo's? Then we could check her out and at the same time get a better idea of how big that log really is? ....Cliff

+1. Except that I think slowp is a gal.

 

[RiverRat2]

Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!

The biggest tree on my property went down over the weekend during a high wind storm. It was a "lonesome" pine tree, apprx 3' in diameter, pretty big for any tree in these parts. It snapped off at the base, leaving the root system in the ground, sounding like someone set off a stick of dynamite outside the basement door!......Cliff

PS: I'll see if I can get some good looking gal to sit on the log while I take a few pics to post!

:camera:

Thats because the first 40' is all the same size,,,,and there is over another 100' straight up on top of that!!!!!

that pic was taken at some distance,,,, and it is deceiving until you get right up to em!!!!! Its a PNW thing,,, and utill you see it upclose and personal,,,,,


You just cant understand It!!!!!!! :monkey:

 

[slowp]

I was talking DBH which is 4.5 feet from the rootwad. The cut area looked to be around 36 inches. It is a largish tree for nowadays. I didn't have my dog to pose by it, and the guys were gone. Sprig used my dog's head as a measurement...this tree would be many,many dogheads wide.

Ahhh, I have an idea. I'll start packing a Barbie Doll around and put her on the logs for you guys.
Or maybe a Gumbie?

 

[romeo]

I was talking DBH which is 4.5 feet from the rootwad. The cut area looked to be around 36 inches. It is a largish tree for nowadays. I didn't have my dog to pose by it, and the guys were gone. Sprig used my dog's head as a measurement...this tree would be many,many dogheads wide.

Ahhh, I have an idea. I'll start packing a Barbie Doll around and put her on the logs for you guys.
Or maybe a Gumbie?

A beer can would work just fine. Then we could see how many beer cans wide.

 

[Zodiac45]

I see. I hope no one went for a ride

Yep exactly right. Someone is lucky they didn't get their head taken off, or maybe that's why no was around?:monkey: