Windfall Whips and Widowmakers, the Hazard's of Working in the Woods.

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I primarily cut hazard and storm damaged trees... Lots of dead ash in recent years and they have become very dangerous as the tops have been breaking off as the trees fall. Some situations are so dangerous that the job has been turned over to mother nature when there are no nearby structures. This with hopes that a night time storm takes them down while nobody is around! Sometimes it works out well... other times there is undesirable collateral damage to other trees and fences. Those outcomes pale in comparison to getting oneself killed!
 
GrizG said:
I primarily cut hazard and storm damaged trees... Lots of dead ash in recent years and they have become very dangerous as the tops have been breaking off as the trees fall. Some situations are so dangerous that the job has been turned over to mother nature when there are no nearby structures. This with hopes that a night time storm takes them down while nobody is around! Sometimes it works out well... other times there is undesirable collateral damage to other trees and fences. Those outcomes pale in comparison to getting oneself killed!
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Dose a situation ever present its self where you can take them out with another tree of sounder wood?
 
Kodiak Kid said:
Dose a situation ever present its self where you can take them out with another tree of sounder wood?
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I've done that at times. I try to limit the hammer to other dead trees though as I'm often working on properties owned by land trusts (parks, rail trails) and they are adverse to taking down sound trees. Some of their folks even argue for leaving the hazard trees as "wildlife trees." I point out to them that there are 10s of thousands of other dead trees in the area which satisfies them!
 
GrizG said:
I've done that at times. I try to limit the hammer to other dead trees though as I'm often working on properties owned by land trusts (parks, rail trails) and they are adverse to taking down sound trees. Some of their folks even argue for leaving the hazard trees as "wildlife trees." I point out to them that there are 10s of thousands of other dead trees in the area which satisfies them!
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I understand completely!👍 Sometimes the opportunity presents its self. Other times not so much. This option is almost impossible in an urban setting.
 
I took one dead Ash down with another almost dead one. But that was back in the forest and I didn't care the branches broke off and flew everywhere, big mess to clean up, but no damage to me or equipment.
The current ones have been left to fall by themselves as the branches fall off at random intervals.
 
GrizG said:
I primarily cut hazard and storm damaged trees... Lots of dead ash in recent years and they have become very dangerous as the tops have been breaking off as the trees fall. Some situations are so dangerous that the job has been turned over to mother nature when there are no nearby structures. This with hopes that a night time storm takes them down while nobody is around! Sometimes it works out well... other times there is undesirable collateral damage to other trees and fences. Those outcomes pale in comparison to getting oneself killed!
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Another point I'd like to make is any species of standing dead, ANY SPECIES. Be it hard woods or conifer. When at a sever stage of decomposition from the moment of the snaggs commitment to fall, it can buckle, break, or crumble any where in the tree from between the ground to the top including any branches if present. Sometimes saw vibration is all it takes to trigger this!
 
kenmbz said:
I took one dead Ash down with another almost dead one. But that was back in the forest and I didn't care the branches broke off and flew everywhere, big mess to clean up, but no damage to me or equipment.
The current ones have been left to fall by themselves as the branches fall off at random intervals.
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Driving over or smashing dead with dead is very dangerous!! 👎 Be careful bud!👍
 
Mad Professor said:
Inside was all rot. Should have been able to tell once the saw got inside.
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He new it was rotten when he walked up to it before even putting his saw in it! The orange paint ring around the tree marked by the forester indicates it is a danger tree. He new exactly what was capable of happening while he was tip'n the tree. The moment it started fo rip his a** was out of there! Dropping the money and scrambling fir his life on very steep ground with no where to run or get a good foot hold.

How would you hav fell it?
 
Kodiak Kid said:
He new it was rotten when he walked up to it before even putting his saw in it! The orange paint ring around the tree marked by the forester indicates it is a danger tree. He new exactly what was capable of happening while he was tip'n the tree. The moment it started fo rip his a** was out of there! Dropping the money and scrambling fir his life on very steep ground with no where to run or get a good foot hold.

How would you hav fell it?
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I've always heard this called, Run Like Hell. As in "I'm going to cut this tree down and if it does this (explanation of what might go wrong) I'll run like hell. The tree is usually pondered and escape routes planned out.

I'll post this photo again since there are new folks on here. I think this snag had a diameter of 11 feet? Or nine? I wasn't there to watch, not that anyone could because it was so bad. It was a hazard tree along a busy forest road. The faller is a very very excellent faller and he had two meticulously groomed escape trails made prior to sticking a saw in it. Saw a video of it, and he did successfully make it away from the using one of his trails. The snag pretty much exploded. His hardhat did fall off during his run.escaperoute20001.JPG
 
Kodiak Kid said:
He new it was rotten when he walked up to it before even putting his saw in it! The orange paint ring around the tree marked by the forester indicates it is a danger tree. He new exactly what was capable of happening while he was tip'n the tree. The moment it started fo rip his a** was out of there! Dropping the money and scrambling fir his life on very steep ground with no where to run or get a good foot hold.

How would you hav fell it?
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Tannerite and a rifle!!!
 
Kodiak Kid said:
He new it was rotten when he walked up to it before even putting his saw in it! The orange paint ring around the tree marked by the forester indicates it is a danger tree. He new exactly what was capable of happening while he was tip'n the tree. The moment it started fo rip his a** was out of there! Dropping the money and scrambling fir his life on very steep ground with no where to run or get a good foot hold.

How would you hav fell it?
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I've seen videos where trees assessed as being very dangerous are taken down with explosives... This appears to have been a candidate for that!
 
GrizG said:
I've seen videos where trees assessed as being very dangerous are taken down with explosives... This appears to have been a candidate for that!
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Here's one.... cut a channel that would direct the blast to blow the holding wood at the rear while keeping the hinge wood intact. My brother in law wasn't expecting the blast.
 
Mad Professor said:
Tannerite and a rifle!!!
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I would not at all recommend that! Easier said then done. Especially in forest as thick and on ground as steep as the tree that exploded on the expert level cutter in the barber chair video. Timber demolition with explosives must be done from a distance to be executed safely!
Open shooting lanes from a distance possibly, and a plug STIHL must be bored out of the tree to set the charge along with relief cuts if nessasay. This is all speeking from experience!
This snag was 4' on the stump and 130' tall.

View attachment VID_20220608_171223568~2.mp4
 

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