Falling a big one...

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

John Lyngdal

Addicted to ArboristSite
AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Jan 5, 2017
Messages
1,319
Reaction score
2,511
Location
Eugene, OR
I've been offered a dead 125' Sitka spruce tree in the middle of a friends pasture. I've dropped taller fir and cedar trees that were 4-5 ft at the base, but this beast is in the 8-10' diameter range.
I see this as rare opportunity to fall a tree of this base diameter and would like to put it on the ground, but at the same time I'm more than willing to walk away from the project.
My plan is to use my ported MS660 with a 36" bar and my Homelite 1130G with a 48" bar and a fleet of wedges to do the deed.
Any special tactics I should employ?
 
Ferguson property?

Outside of special hazards that is an easy tree. It is just a lot of work.

Wedges might not be enough, might have to stack blocks and wedge off those, all about the angles and center of gravity.

You'll want a thin or even segmented hinge.

Is the plan to recover the wood?

How many big trees have you dropped?

Any pictures?
 
I've been offered a dead 125' Sitka spruce tree in the middle of a friends pasture. I've dropped taller fir and cedar trees that were 4-5 ft at the base, but this beast is in the 8-10' diameter range.
I see this as rare opportunity to fall a tree of this base diameter and would like to put it on the ground, but at the same time I'm more than willing to walk away from the project.
My plan is to use my ported MS660 with a 36" bar and my Homelite 1130G with a 48" bar and a fleet of wedges to do the deed.
Any special tactics I should employ?
Well thats bigger then anything I've tackled

other then watch for widowmakers I would suggest finding a couple 3 25 ton jacks, or better some proper tree jacks, backed up by blocks and wedges, jacks put even pressure on dead brittle wood, where whacking wedges can set somthing loose up high (both can, but jacks are marginally safer)

depending on accuracy needed, maybe figure out the 2 tape sighting thing, or even get some proper aiming sticks.

a block face might make life a little easier for putting the face in to, chunk the pieces up without them crushing your feet lol.
 
How long has it been dead? Is there much rot? I've fallen a 60" and cut a couple of the big old grow cedar stumps that were 8 & 10 feet and 15 foot high. So my experience is limited, as Northman mentioned, Consider chunking the face cut. Jacks, and possibly wrap if with a chain above your cut. I am unable to come down from Portland to help, but I believe we've met at the gtg a couple of years back. I was the guy with the 090g & 96" bar. Something to remember is with the big ones, what seems like a little holding wood on your hinge, may be more or stronger than it appears. A deep belly bar will make the backcut concave where a shorter bar with less belly can give you a more accurate picture of where you are.
 
I have a picture of your saw angled all the way across the bed of your truck at Bob's place from a couple years ago. It's a beast!!!!!!!!
I'm still waiting for pictures and a bit of history of the tree.
I like the idea of running a chain around the trunk above the cut for safety, especially one that may not be sound.
 
I have a picture of your saw angled all the way across the bed of your truck at Bob's place from a couple years ago. It's a beast!!!!!!!!
I'm still waiting for pictures and a bit of history of the tree.
I like the idea of running a chain around the trunk above the cut for safety, especially one that may not be sound.
Although the diameter us very large, if you can do a few plunge cuts with your 066 and the bar perpendicular ti the tree, you may be able to feel for rot spots on the outer diameter anyway. Take your time and go slow for sure. I've never used a geardrive for this as my thinking is, you may not get much of a feel with one of those. The 1130g might be a better bucking saw than as a felling one?

Fraiser would be a good one to help you wigh advise as he has a good deal of experience with large trees. I don't believe I have his contact info anymore and you've probably heard that Bob & family have had a rough time as regards to the fire situation.
 
Damn! Sorry to hear about T losing his house. He have a go fund me thing or something set up? He need anything?
 
Ive cut 2 trees over 50" this year and a dozen over 36" ,in the past a bunch of 40" or so.
I generally don't measure with a tape because I'm not processing the tree.
I've got one to cut that's 13'8" around or 52" DBH in October it's dead.
In my experience with big trees they are still standing because they are still solid enough to hold the weight, unless they have been in a fire or have a split running up and down (had a big oak do a pirouette on the stump due to a split).
With 40-60 tons of weight a significant defect usually brings them down.
My personal approach is to use my biggest saw and bar combination. It takes less time to cut and time is a factor of failure/accidents. If you don't have targets a big tree is pretty forgiving on aim ,weight will do most of the work.
If you absolutely have to drop it with in a window or space or are fighting natural lean PUT A BIG ROPE IN IT! 3/4 bull rope minimum.
I pulled a 50" loblolly pine with an f700 ford and a 3/4 rope and a directional pulley, not fun but effective.
I use my 088 stihl with a 41" bar and or my homelite super 1050A with a 36". I agree with taking your time on setting up your face cut but don't be too picky, it'll fall that way with the cuts you make . I've made some pretty hideous face cuts but the weight of the tree just crushes them away and I'm 30 yards away from it at that point.
Fiddle farting around the base of a huge tree with a tiny bar is a recipe for disaster in my experience, hopefully you will make 3 cuts and walk away and wait for the thunder!
 
I've been offered a dead 125' Sitka spruce tree in the middle of a friends pasture. I've dropped taller fir and cedar trees that were 4-5 ft at the base, but this beast is in the 8-10' diameter range.
I see this as rare opportunity to fall a tree of this base diameter and would like to put it on the ground, but at the same time I'm more than willing to walk away from the project.
My plan is to use my ported MS660 with a 36" bar and my Homelite 1130G with a 48" bar and a fleet of wedges to do the deed.
Any special tactics I should employ?


Don't let the size of the tree intimidate you. All of the basic procedures and skill sets that apply to smaller trees will work with the one you're looking at.
In a sense the bigger trees are easier and more forgiving of error. If your cuts aren't lining up you'll have time and wood left to correct the cut. They also tend to start "talking" to you a little sooner when they start to let go.

Be sure to size up the tree for widow makers before you start to cut. Keep looking up while your cutting. A dead tree will carry the vibrations from the saw farther up the tree than a green one. Limbs that look well attached can snap off and come down on you.
I wouldn't bother with a bull rope or a chain .
 
One thing I didn't see mentioned here . . . a tree in the middle of a pasture is "open grown." In other words, it probably has a broad canopy, the opposite of a tree that grows tall and narrow inside tight woods. Tall skinny trees are simple to wedge over, but open grown trees can be surprisingly resistant to wedging. Just something to consider.
 
One thing I didn't see mentioned here . . . a tree in the middle of a pasture is "open grown." In other words, it probably has a broad canopy, the opposite of a tree that grows tall and narrow inside tight woods. Tall skinny trees are simple to wedge over, but open grown trees can be surprisingly resistant to wedging. Just something to consider.
 
Back
Top