A gift from Sandy

[dbmatt]

Look what Sandy gave us. Not one but two nice trees blown over domino style. The top tree is an oak and about 40ft from the base up to the fork before the top. I think the lower tree is a maple but there is no foliage left on it. Both trees are 2.5-3ft across the trunks. Now I just have to get a tree guy in to cut them the rest of the way down so I can start bucking them up. mmmmmmmmmmmmfreefirewood.

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[stihly dan]

You can finish that. Don't spend the money on a tree guy. You have all the info youi will need here.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

An inexperienced cutter would want to be extra careful with those trees. There would be a lot of tension there both in the tops and from the attached root ball. If it is beyond your comfort level it would be best to get someone with experience whether it is a friend or someone you hire. Imo.

 

[dbmatt]

I studied the trees for about an hour today and could not figure out a safe way to get them down. The way they are stacked and then wedged in between a large oak and another maple there is no way to cut them without being in the path of something that is going to hurt. The guy I buy firewood from is an experienced tree company, he has been in business for over 20 years. My guess is that he will have to climb the oak that the two are resting against and remove the tops... but I am just guessing.

 

[Steve NW WI]

There's no shame whatsoever in leaving a job to someone with the experience and equipment to do it safely. You'll have plenty of "fun" time bucking, splitting and stacking those two. No need to work outside your comfort zone. To a guy that deals with these situations often, it doesn't look too bad, but experience reading which way things are going to move is necessary, and almost impossible to predict from pictures.

Keep us updated!

 

[sdt7618]

there is no surer way to get hurt than to do something you know you shouldn't be and make a mess of it. I work in construction and it always pays to leave stuff to people who know what their doing and equally important have the right gear for the job.

Stay safe,"Sandy" doesn't need any more statistics!

 

[Dalmatian90]

Yep. Pics can be really deceiving in these situations -- but it doesn't look like something that needs to be climbed. But I'd have a lot of questions that could only be answered by actually walking around the trees.

But remember -- whatever he does, we want pics

 

[D&B Mack]

Regardless of difficulty, only do what YOU are comfortable with. When a cutter is nervous, it only makes it more likely for something to happen.

 

[jrider]

That tree on top looks like poplar to me. And it will be far from free once you pay a tree guy to put it on the ground for you.

 

[oppermancjo]

Better to be safe than sorry. If you are a customer for the guy already surely he will cut you a deal. Since you buy your wood, as long as your tree service bill doesn't exceed what you would pay for the couple cord or so that those trees contain, you are in good shape.

Just judging by the pics, if I were to tackle that myself I would cut the root ball off of the top tree first and then pull it down with a truck or tractor. Repeat with the second tree. If you don't have a pulling vehicle available, then that could get tricky.

 

[mountainmandan]

I don't want to encourage you to do something you are not comfortable with, but I do these sorts of trees a lot in the national forest with firewood permits. You are allowed downed trees, and most downed trees look a lot like this situation.

What I would do:

Either bore in from the middle or use wedges to keep the cut open. Cut the trunk free from the root ball. (how you do this depends on the forces involved, and that takes an on site assessment.)

The root ball will flop back into the hole.

The trees will either fall on their own or you can pull them out with a come along or a truck.

Then all you have to do is limb, buck, split, haul, stack, wait a year, haul inside, stack inside, burn, remove ashes.
Dan

 

[PEKS]

Over Confidence Kills..
Stay within your Skill Level..

 

[haveawoody]

What i would do is an up cut near the root ball.
Cut up about 75% through then finish the cut down.
That should avoid a barber poll happening to you.

Keep your feet out of the root ball hole since when the cut is finished the stump will try to return to the hole.

Cut both trees the same and if they don't make it to the ground you might need to tow them down.
Towing them to flatter ground isn't a bad idea anyway even if they do both drop to the ground.

 

[owbguy]

I agree with the folks who are telling you to get help if you are not skilled and comfortable cutting the mess down.

I'm a big fan of practical experience, but not when death or dismemberment is involved.

 

[Garmins dad]

I'm a big fan of practical experience, but not when death or dismemberment is involved.

That right there says it all....... Follow your gut instinct.. call the tree guy... You go cut that now and post up in three months you got hurt doing it the same guys that convinced you to do it will be asking why you did it..

 

[haveawoody]

I agree if a tree looks dangerous to you then it is.
When in doubt call in someone.

The two trees look pretty simple but that's it they just just look simple and in reality are not.

 

[Fred Wright]

Agreed, this could be a precarious situation. Get a pro to handle it, at least to release the root balls if nothing else. Then drag those trees with a tractor or truck until they're fully flat on the ground before you take the saw to 'em.

A hung blowdown can be unpredictable when it's cut.

 

[dbmatt]

Thanks for all the great advice. It is hard to see the terrain in the photos but there is no access for a vehicle to get to the trees. Also the slope under the trees is a steep downhill. The two trees that they are wedged in form an X that they are resting in that gets tighter as they fall. There is about 30% of the tree, mostly the crowns, beyond the trees they are leaning on. That being said, this is beyond my skill level as much as I like to think that I can do anything I do not want to be known as the stupid dad that left his kid fatherless and his wife a widow. I have plenty of hard work to do in the bucking, splitting and hauling stages.
There are other trees in the area that have blown over that are only a foot in diameter on flat ground and not leaning on anything which I can try some of technics mentioned... Safely. It will be fun to fire up the Makita and use it for a full day of work. ...now if I could only get some gas.

 

[zogger]

Thanks for all the great advice. It is hard to see the terrain in the photos but there is no access for a vehicle to get to the trees. Also the slope under the trees is a steep downhill. The two trees that they are wedged in form an X that they are resting in that gets tighter as they fall. There is about 30% of the tree, mostly the crowns, beyond the trees they are leaning on. That being said, this is beyond my skill level as much as I like to think that I can do anything I do not want to be known as the stupid dad that left his kid fatherless and his wife a widow. I have plenty of hard work to do in the bucking, splitting and hauling stages.
There are other trees in the area that have blown over that are only a foot in diameter on flat ground and not leaning on anything which I can try some of technics mentioned... Safely. It will be fun to fire up the Makita and use it for a full day of work. ...now if I could only get some gas.

Those big rootballs just suck. You never know if they are gonna flop back over or not. If you are in the top cut, there goes your saw flying. Underneath it might get pinched or opposite, tree drops down and smashes the saw. I V notch both cuts now when I do one, sort of work my way in, taking out a lot of wood. I always assume that it will lop over. I also try to shove a lot of blocks from elsewhere under the tree before it is released.

 

[REJ2]

Photos can certainly be deceiving, neither tree looks 30"-36" in diameter in the pics, more like 18"-20".