Looking for tips and tricks in dealing with schoolmarms. These are a rare falling situation but the trees can be very unpredictable. Here is a pic of one I dealt with this week.
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Dealing with Schoolmarms
- Thread starter Cfaller
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Metals406
Granfodder Runningsaw
There's 100 ways to peel that banana.
I'd cut the small one off, and tackle the big one as normal. . . Although, I'm not standing there looking at it in person. A guy really has to be there looking at each tree individually.
And I might do it completely bass-ackwards to another guy, but get the same result.
treeslayer2003
Addicted to ArboristSite
look like yellow pine. should be no problem, cut the small one first like metal said. ya mean it's a problem putting it were ya want? in my expieriance they useually want to fall opposite each other.
your pic shows low easy stumps, do you mean like 6 foot stumps?
Here's one I marked and then came back to check the stump. I sort of expected that the two stems would be cut separately, but the faller decided otherwise:
and then it all got bucked on the ground:
I like that he pulled it around with one stem whole letting the other move. I'm also happy to see the good balance of utilization and coarse/woody accumulation. There were a couple of dozen small poles in the shade of this prairie monster, which is why I took it. I should walk through the preparation of one of my sales from pre-planning to post-harvest so everybody can see what I'm up to at the landscape level.
and then it all got bucked on the ground:
I like that he pulled it around with one stem whole letting the other move. I'm also happy to see the good balance of utilization and coarse/woody accumulation. There were a couple of dozen small poles in the shade of this prairie monster, which is why I took it. I should walk through the preparation of one of my sales from pre-planning to post-harvest so everybody can see what I'm up to at the landscape level.
Sport Faller
Gate Pimp
Well heres how it is. After the clipper puts it in the stack and it gets skidded to the landing youre gonna wanna run the head on the delimber past it with thè arms open and then snap it off on the way back so it doesnt pull the butt off the back plate. 
Well heres how it is. After the clipper puts it in the stack and it gets skidded to the landing youre gonna wanna run the head on the delimber past it with thè arms open and then snap it off on the way back so it doesnt pull the butt off the back plate.
Uh oh...looks like Jake has that Mechanical Logger thing going on. I was afraid that was going to happen.
We're talking SAWS, Jake. SAWS!! Not some big ugly noisy piece of machinery that anybody with a room temperature IQ can run. SAWS, dammit.
And why aren't you at work???
Sport Faller
Gate Pimp
Uh oh...looks like Jake has that Mechanical Logger thing going on. I was afraid that was going to happen.
We're talking SAWS, Jake. SAWS!! Not some big ugly noisy piece of machinery that anybody with a room temperature IQ can run. SAWS, dammit.
And why aren't you at work???
Lissen Pops
You cant have just any old dummy runnin the clipper. ....Thats why i run the skidder and am the site's head gate pimp
Sport Faller
Gate Pimp
Oh, and im home cause we start early, none o' this hollywood logger malarky
Mechanized?:msp_confused: whats that... all I got is this old chain saw and a sack full of wedges... I stack the wedges up and when I get to 45 that's a 32' log... not sure what else their good for.
School marms, mostly I just ignored them and continued beating on their brats...
For trees each one is different, some times fall em both together some times separately, all depends on where they can go, where they want to go, and where I think I can park em. Did one the other day fell em separate but the same direction on back over the top of the other, took stacking wedges as it was against the lean but no choice as property line was behind it.
School marms, mostly I just ignored them and continued beating on their brats...
For trees each one is different, some times fall em both together some times separately, all depends on where they can go, where they want to go, and where I think I can park em. Did one the other day fell em separate but the same direction on back over the top of the other, took stacking wedges as it was against the lean but no choice as property line was behind it.
Lissen Pops
You cant have just any old dummy runnin the clipper. ....Thats why i run the skidder and am the site's head gate pimp
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
I didn't know that was called a schoolmarm, and I didn't know they were rare or difficult. I'll have to adjust my strategery, cause till now I just cut those down:msp_biggrin:
hammerlogging
Addicted to ArboristSite
if you are cutting them seperately, then I cut the one that I am more sure of- saw psoition, confidence in hingewood, its going to play along with your plan. then the second one can be evaluated, and its easier to tell what it can do once the first one is gone.
Cutting them together is a fine option when they are going to hold, although it makes me a bit uncomfortable when you notice they are not holding, and neither is the hingewood, and there's a whole lot going on in 2 unitended directions.
lots of poplars do this. more often than not I cut them seperately. Today I had one that split 7'up, cu tthem together no problem, great union
Cutting them together is a fine option when they are going to hold, although it makes me a bit uncomfortable when you notice they are not holding, and neither is the hingewood, and there's a whole lot going on in 2 unitended directions.
lots of poplars do this. more often than not I cut them seperately. Today I had one that split 7'up, cu tthem together no problem, great union
treeslayer2003
Addicted to ArboristSite
yup, I cut a lot of poplar that way, oak to sometimes. always wonder tho, is it gonna stay together? once in a while it don't. that's when expiereance comes in. and a little luck if ya want to call it that.
here's a pic of that hemlock school marm...
Thanks for the tips and photos.
Here is what I did. Put a springboard notch in the bigger part of the tree and fell the little one. View attachment 300226
Put a fairly steep Humboldt in the large part and let go for a little ride. :msp_biggrin: Notice how it is twisting as it comes off the stump.View attachment 300227
A nice dust cloud as it land.View attachment 300228
Where it stopped.
View attachment 300229
Here is what I did. Put a springboard notch in the bigger part of the tree and fell the little one. View attachment 300226
Put a fairly steep Humboldt in the large part and let go for a little ride. :msp_biggrin: Notice how it is twisting as it comes off the stump.View attachment 300227
A nice dust cloud as it land.View attachment 300228
Where it stopped.
View attachment 300229
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
Nice work. I would have fallen off the springboard and busted my ass. The defect left in the large stem took away some of your holding wood on that side and basically left you with a kerf Dutchman pulling it to the right. Looked to go where you intended
paccity
Addicted to ArboristSite
just dump it.
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Looks good! Now you just need a bushellin' hat.
Had to split a couple of hard maples on the last job. One was growing around the main stem. Had to rip it and pop it with wedges. Not fun. They would not have gone well together. The holding wood was questionable all the way through so I did not want to take both at once. It all depends on the union/speices/hieght/seam/rot clues/ on and on and on. Nice work and nice pictures!
Had to split a couple of hard maples on the last job. One was growing around the main stem. Had to rip it and pop it with wedges. Not fun. They would not have gone well together. The holding wood was questionable all the way through so I did not want to take both at once. It all depends on the union/speices/hieght/seam/rot clues/ on and on and on. Nice work and nice pictures!
