Hollow Alder felling tips

[Rob M Thomas]

I have an Alder with an 18" trunk of which half of it hollow. I've cut several branches leaving one that is 8' from the ground. The branch seem solid but it is atop this hollow trunk. I'm concerned about barber chair and/or the trunk giving out mid-cut. please see photo. Any tips?

 

[cus_deluxe]

If it was me, i would put a rope in it and give it a good tug or two with a vehicle from a safe distance. No real good way to fell that by hand it looks like from the pic.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Push it over with backhoe or excavator. I dislike those hollow trees, always seem to blow apart on me.

 

[Tin-knocker]

I have a similar alder that I’m going to drop soon. My plan is to get a rope as high as I safely can on it. Then do a very shallow face cut and a shallow back cut and then yank it over with a tractor. I might have to use a pulley to keep the tractor out of the way while pulling. Don’t want to pull it right over the top of yourself!

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Purchased a Maasdam rope puller and cannot believe I did not buy one earlier.

 

[Skeans]

Don’t go pulling on an alder especially a rotten one, best thing to do is face it up 90 degrees from the lean, if this is the side opposite of the good marm keep a decent hinge to the far side. If you don’t feel comfortable there’s still plenty of fallers down on the coast I’m sure would be happy to take care of it in a few minutes without messing around.


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