Hi All,
Found this forum a couple of days ago and have been reading steadily since then. I'm a homeowner surrounded by a stand of about 36 big (c. 100', 36-48" diameter) Eastern white pines (about 36 of them). Amongst those is a lot of small stuff, mainly softwood) that hasn't been cut or maintained in any way for 20 years at least. Hence there's lots of blowdowns and small, scraggly stuff that my wife and I are steadily pecking away at.
A couple of weeks ago I was out burning some of the slash and a biggish spruce nearby let go in the wind but immediately hung up in a neighboring hardwood. The spruce is about 70' tall and perhaps 18" at the break (3 or 4' above ground). Tree now leans about 15 degrees and I'd like to bring it all the way down before it does so at an inopportune time (it's kind of close to the driveway and we walk in the woods frequently).
What's the best way to bring down a tree that's hung up without just putting a chain on the butt and pulling from a distance with an excavator or crawler? I can't see the best cut to make since the main force vector seems to be straight down the trunk's axis. Looks like the top 25' or so is hung up, so it's not just a case of shortening it by a few feet until its crown clears out of the tree it's leaning into.
Also, what's the single-best publication / book / video that a guy who runs a Jonsered 490 and is working his way up to bigger trees could read for training and technique? I really enjoy cutting and moving the wood around with levers, Peaveys, wedges, rollers, etc. and fear that I may be addicted. If I am, I'd at least like to get good at it.
Thanks for comments on both questions and although I looked around for a similar question to avoid asking one that's already been posed I apologize if that's the case.
Avery
Found this forum a couple of days ago and have been reading steadily since then. I'm a homeowner surrounded by a stand of about 36 big (c. 100', 36-48" diameter) Eastern white pines (about 36 of them). Amongst those is a lot of small stuff, mainly softwood) that hasn't been cut or maintained in any way for 20 years at least. Hence there's lots of blowdowns and small, scraggly stuff that my wife and I are steadily pecking away at.
A couple of weeks ago I was out burning some of the slash and a biggish spruce nearby let go in the wind but immediately hung up in a neighboring hardwood. The spruce is about 70' tall and perhaps 18" at the break (3 or 4' above ground). Tree now leans about 15 degrees and I'd like to bring it all the way down before it does so at an inopportune time (it's kind of close to the driveway and we walk in the woods frequently).
What's the best way to bring down a tree that's hung up without just putting a chain on the butt and pulling from a distance with an excavator or crawler? I can't see the best cut to make since the main force vector seems to be straight down the trunk's axis. Looks like the top 25' or so is hung up, so it's not just a case of shortening it by a few feet until its crown clears out of the tree it's leaning into.
Also, what's the single-best publication / book / video that a guy who runs a Jonsered 490 and is working his way up to bigger trees could read for training and technique? I really enjoy cutting and moving the wood around with levers, Peaveys, wedges, rollers, etc. and fear that I may be addicted. If I am, I'd at least like to get good at it.
Thanks for comments on both questions and although I looked around for a similar question to avoid asking one that's already been posed I apologize if that's the case.
Avery