Any thoughts on how to put this tree safely on the ground

[hardpan]

I can't tell you how to safely cut it but if you try something at least wrap a bunch of chain around it, maybe in a couple places, as mentioned above. I wonder if it could even split a few directions at the same time like a banana peel. Be careful. That's a scarey tree. Nothing wrong with walking away.

 

[Blazin]

thats one way to split a truck load of firewood without an axe :msp_wink:

And your skull! :msp_scared: If the jackshaft woulda gunned in on the back cut it may have not happened, instead of stopping and listening to it crack

 

[Trx250r180]

And your skull! :msp_scared: If the jackshaft woulda gunned in on the back cut it may have not happened, instead of stopping and listening to it crack

yup ,a fast saw and a long bar can get you out of trouble once in a while

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Wouldn't touch that tree with a 10 foot bar

Several ideas, only one is cheap.

If that tree absolutely has to come down, a trained arborist in a bucket truck is about the safest method I can recommend. Getting access to the tree may or may not be an issue, hard to determine from the pics. I'll assume Mr. Murphy is at work and bucket truck access isn't viable.

Second option shoot a line up high, pull a cable through, and with the aid of a skidder, bulldozer, or similar piece of equipment yank on it from a long, safe distance. If it's as rotten as it looks, the tree will snap off and come down. Problem with this method, and we use it a lot with the skidder, is there is no way to know where it will break. This one may be easy as being hung in the other tree may be the only reason it's still upright. Hard to say without actually being on site.

Rotten trees like that one are the absolute worst nightmare as there is no way to control anything. Hinging, bore cuts, any ground saw work close to the tree is a disaster waiting to happen. Between the bugs and the wet rot it would not surprise me to find the what remains of the core of the tree resembles a 2 to 6 inch thick horseshoe comprised of some solid to semi-solid wood and mush. Mush does not support or transmit stress well so all good intentions go to heck in a hurry.

As others have said, wait. Waiting is cheap. It may take the bugs and weather a couple years to weaken the tree enough so a good windstorm will drop it, but they'll get you there eventually.

Take Care

 

[blacknightwolf]

the only reason to even see this tree is that when we was collecting maple sap happened it was in next to trail that maples are on... was thinking be best do some thing with it befor some one got hurt by it.guessing any unexpected strong wind could cause issues. to advoid any possible issues made trail that was well away from that tree. as many have said here best to let nature take its course.
if nothing else was a chance to show son that you have to be looking all the time when around trees. him nor the other guy that was with us even saw crack in treeand rot side was not visible from our approach.
maybe one of the strong spring winds will bring it down as the leaves appear on it.

 

[zogger]

Heavy line up at the top and pull it off to the right there. hard to see, but thats what it looks like, where it might want to roll.

To get ropes up I have a heavy old nut from some equipment tied to a light line, I throw that, then that pulls a heavy rope up. Pulled down some with a comealong that way. Takes awhile to get the slack out, a real winch or puller something else would work better. The tree guys have tools to do that, a bigshot I read it was called. I have seen some tree guys in atlanta use a crossbow with a fishing reel on it as well, to get the first line up a tree. Sport!

Mostly though, I have the luxury of letting things like that be. Not all the time though... I have a HUGE heavy widowmaker I need to get down soon, hickory, worth the snagging... I will be chaining that up and using the tractor I think. Broke off at the top, hanging down, still sorta connected but not by much, beefy enough branches at ground grab level, so it should go OK. I *thought* about just felling the tree as is, folding it over so the branch went parallel with the main tree, took one second to decide against that, just no way to really predict how large weights like that in unstable situations will react. too many variables.

 

[rwoods]

Barber chair won't hurt anything... as long as you keep you and you equipment out of the way.

How about explaining how he is to keep himself and his equipment out of the way. And just where is out of the way? About the only thing remotely predictable with a barberchair is it can happen before you can bat your eye. I'm not trying to be a wisecrack but BCs have multiple ways to kill you. IMO this tree is especially dangerous with its spiral split. Ron

 

[rwoods]

Blazin, thanks for posting the video. Despite experiencing many barber chairs on small trees, it wasn't until I joined AS that I began to appreciate the additional danger of the top breaking off and falling on you. I feel a little embarrassed that all I ever worried about before was being slapped by the tree as it pivoted. Ron