Need advice for cutting off large limb

[clarksvilleal]

Below are a few pics of a really large limb that I want to cut off from the ground, hopefully without getting hurt. The tree itself has about a 22" diameter trunk at the point where the limb originates, about 4-1/2 feet from the ground at the bottom of the limb where it joins the trunk. The limb is about 15" diameter at that point. It comes out at almost 90 degrees and twists and turns a couple of times before heading upward at a steep angle. I estimate the limb is about 35' from its base to the uppermost branch tips. It is hardwood - I believe a wild cherry tree. So the limb is carrying a lot of weight, and because of that and the twists and turns, I am sure there are some very large tensions near its base. That makes me a little apprehensive about what the limb might do if I try to simply cut it off the way I normally cut limbs, with one cut from the bottom about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up, and a second cut from the top till the limb breaks off.

I'm inclined to approach it in a similar way to how I would fell a standing tree of that diameter - a typical 70 degree face notch on the bottom of the limb close to where it comes out of the trunk, and then do the felling cut from above, leaving a hinge to control the fall. But in this case the "trunk" - i.e. the lower part of the limb - is almost horizontal where I would be doing those cuts, and the top of the limb is a little high to do the felling cut safely from the ground with the chainsaw.

There is a fence just a few feet behind the tree, so I can't use that as my escape route. Overall the limb leans forward - i.e., away from the fence, but again it has a couple of odd twists to the side. I'm thinking my easiest and maybe best escape route is to just scoot around the tree on the side opposite the limb, since it can't possible fall or jump through or around the tree trunk. I could get maybe 10 or 15 feet away on that side until I run into the fence again.

I can cut the notch under the limb pretty easily standing on the ground, but for the felling cut I would have to hold the chainsaw at or above head height to come down on top of the limb from a ground position, which of course is not safe. I had thought of setting up a Baker scaffold that I have as a platform a few feet high that would let me cut down from the top of the limb without holding the saw above shoulder height. The scaffold is 10 feet long, so I could get at most 10 feet away without jumping down to the ground.

I may be over-analyzing what could turn out to be a very simple, typical limb cutting, but this limb is far bigger and heavier than any I have ever cut off, and with the twists and turns it makes me worry that it may do something unexpected rather than just fall straight down. So I would greatly appreciate advice from some of you more experienced folks. I've felled a number of moderate sized trees, so I'm not a total novice. But I know trees can do things and go places you don't anticipate if you don't carefully plan the cuts.

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[Philbert]

Have you thought about a pole saw?

Philbert

 

[TheJollyLogger]

The fact that you haven't cut it yet and are posting is the real answer. Whenever there is doubt, there is no doubt. Get a pro over. Explain the situation, probably get someone to stop by on the way home and cut it for 50 bucks, and learn some new techniques.... Or post some pics online, get some advice from a stranger and then end up risking your life. I have some ideas on how I would cut that limb based on your pics, but they certainly don't tell the whole story. I wouldn't know exactly how I was going to hande the situation until I saw it in person. Be safe.

Jeff

 

[treeseer]

However it is cut, it will leave a huge wound that will not heal. The trunk will be rotten inside.

Why do you want to cut the limb?

 

[Pelorus]

A wound that large is a terrific insult to your tree. Decay is inevitable!

 

[clarksvilleal]

A wound that large is a terrific insult to your tree. Decay is inevitable!

The plan is to eventually cut down the whole tree. But I want to remove the large limb first so I have more control over where the tree will fall. While there are no buildings in the path, there is a small vineyard and a fence that could get damaged if it does not fall the right way.

 

[056kid]

I know how I would do it, but I would not ask someone with less experience to do it that way.

Saw the bottom, snipe one side, saw the top favoring the far side, run..

 

[clarksvilleal]

Done - not quite perfect, but not too shabby, either. Didn't make the notch on the bottom quite deep enough, so the break was a little ragged on the bottom of the limb. But it did come down in a respectably controlled manner right where I was targeting it. I'll post some pics later. And I'll be happy to accept the Darwin Award - after all, I did survive without a scratch, and he was all about survival of the fittest, right?

OTOH, I did have my son there ready to speed dial 911 if necessary :msp_wink: I believe he did take a video of at least part of the felling, so maybe I'll try to figure out where and how to post that when I get a chance.

And thanks to all for the sage advice, fellas. I fully understand why your advice was what is was. If I had never cut down a tree before I would have taken that advice to heart and not tried this myself. But based on the experience I did have, and after studying it for a while, I was pretty sure I could do it safely, esp. since it was so easy to scoot behind the tree as soon as it started to fall, where there was no way the limb could possibly get to me.

Now, time to get out the Wallenstein to shred up the small stuff, and then try out the new Iron & Oak Splitter for the first time on the big stuff.

 

[clarksvilleal]

Here are some of the pics:

 

[stihl023/5]

Next time cut up from the bottom 1/3 or so, then cut on top but move out 3-4" and cut down. It will snap off and reduce the chance of tearing like it did. Then cut again to clean it up. Otherwise congrats.

 

[clarksvilleal]

Next time cut up from the bottom 1/3 or so, then cut on top but move out 3-4" and cut down. It will snap off and reduce the chance of tearing like it did. Then cut again to clean it up. Otherwise congrats.

Thank you, Stihl. I'll be honest: I was reluctant to cut too deep a notch because I was cutting the notch from the ground, from the side where the weight was leaning and where I wanted it to fall. So I was afraid that the limb might start coming down on top of me while I was cutting the notch, esp. if I goofed and went too deep.

And it didn't occur to me to move out for the felling cut because I was thinking about how I normally do the felling cut for a standing tree, directly toward the base of the notch. But clearly this was a different situation, so my lack of experience showed there. But thanks for the advice. I have another limb to cut off of a maple tree that is not quite so large, but still big enough to do some damage. It's starting to lean toward the house, and I don't want it to get any bigger or I will have to hire a professional to cut it off. So I'll follow your advice when I cut that one off.

 

[no tree to big]

be warned if you move "out" and make the top cut it is possible that the falling piece will grab your chain and take the saw with... general rule is directly over or slightly "in" so when the limb falls it has zero chance to grab the saw...

 

[clarksvilleal]

be warned if you move "out" and make the top cut it is possible that the falling piece will grab your chain and take the saw with... general rule is directly over or slightly "in" so when the limb falls it has zero chance to grab the saw...

OK, thanks for the warning.

So now two pieces of conflicting advice. I think I'll do a little more research before cutting the next couple of limbs I have to do - though neither is as big as this one was, they are both big enough to warrant some caution.

 

[no tree to big]

OK, thanks for the warning.

So now two pieces of conflicting advice. I think I'll do a little more research before cutting the next couple of limbs I have to do - though neither is as big as this one was, they are both big enough to warrant some caution.

well ive seen a saw or two take the plunge 60' out of trees... so yea... we do it the way i explained at work when we are bombing horizontal limbs. also with the limb you already posted about we probably would have put a notch in it... vs just an under cut...

 

[TheJollyLogger]

be warned if you move "out" and make the top cut it is possible that the falling piece will grab your chain and take the saw with... general rule is directly over or slightly "in" so when the limb falls it has zero chance to grab the saw...

Big is right. Moving outboard of the undercut has no advantage over cutting right above it, and greatly increases the odds of a saw snatch.

 

[old_soul]

its hard to do what you are trying to do without tearing out the cuts

there is so much weight hanging out there. even with a good notch, and good back cut, the saw cant get through the cut quick enough before it cracks. that rough "hinge" can grab the chain

Not really important here but it is important if you are trying to swing limbs to the side with an angle notch, or roping something down away from the climber, etc etc.

sometimes you need to take weight off starting at the tips if you want to avoid the tearing.

but looks like a job well done, from here!!

 

[no tree to big]

its hard to do what you are trying to do without tearing out the cuts

there is so much weight hanging out there. even with a good notch, and good back cut, the saw cant get through the cut quick enough before it cracks. that rough "hinge" can grab the chain

Not really important here but it is important if you are trying to swing limbs to the side with an angle notch, or roping something down away from the climber, etc etc.

sometimes you need to take weight off starting at the tips if you want to avoid the tearing.

but looks like a job well done, from here!!

Idk we do a lot of **** and never really have a tearing problem... We bomb some crazy stuff sometimes and as long as you pay attention to where your cuts are your good , i will say we have one climber/ bucket guy that is not the brightest and has almost had a few pretty bad oops moments...
If you provide an adequate undercut and cut even with or before your cut say an inch or i guess its independent on limb size but as you cut through the under cut will close then as you keep cutting the piece will eventually just pop off no tearing it will just snap clean.

 

[clarksvilleal]

well ive seen a saw or two take the plunge 60' out of trees... so yea... we do it the way i explained at work when we are bombing horizontal limbs. also with the limb you already posted about we probably would have put a notch in it... vs just an under cut...

In this case I did put a v-shaped notch underneath. I think I just didn't go deep enough. I was afraid I might cut the notch too deep and have the limb come down on me while I was cutting it. Had I notched it a little deeper I think it would have snapped off more cleanly than it did.

 

[woodchuck357]

I can't believe someone advised you to make a top cut further away from the trunk than the under-cut. If you were hanging in the tree above the limb and you knew when to quit cutting so the saw would be out of the cut when the snap happens AND your saw is on a break-a-way lanyard THEN go ahead and make the cut that way.

I would have cut a foot or so further out the limb, but looks like it cleaned up OK.

 

[miko0618]

make a notch on the underside. don't open the face too much. less than a felling notch. the limb will hit the ground before it snaps the hinge. make shallow kerf cuts. make your back cut. it will tear some. the hinge will give you a split second to exit. the match cut with that much tension usually just splits the limb in half towards the trunk and breaks violently. NEVER cut in front of an under cut.