Fred Wright
Addicted to ArboristSite
Hey guys.
Was cloudy and around 50 degrees today, fine wood cutting weather. So I hitched the cart to the Little Black tractor, loaded my toys and headed into the woods for some amusement.
This was the maple I started cutting a few weekends ago. Got part of the face cut done and was attacked by yellowjackets. They had a nest at the base of the tree. Well, it isn't there anymore... I guess the recent cool weather finally finished them off.
In the meantime, Sandy blew through and split the trunk about 4 feet up from where I made the cut. Had the winds been stronger or lasted much longer the tree probably would have barber chaired and fell on its own. You can see the half rounds where the saw sets... that's where the trunk split.
I finished the face cut and and made my back cut. It started to move and I got outta the way. It dropped right where I'd aimed it... I left the hinge wood a little thicker than usual on purpose. The wind was squirrely today and I could see the trunk flexing on that split. The tree had a decent lean where I wanted it to lay. But ya never know... the wind can do some unpredictable things, especially with a tree that's already split partway up the trunk.
Felling is the easy part. It's all that limbing and bucking afterward that gives you a workout. And these maples have some wacky limbs on them... they like to bury themselves in the ground when they fall. There was a lot of brush to move, too. Took me almost 6 hours but it's done and ready to be loaded to the yard for splitting. That's a project for another weekend.
Got a nice warm fire going here. Sure is fine not having to pay for heat.
Was cloudy and around 50 degrees today, fine wood cutting weather. So I hitched the cart to the Little Black tractor, loaded my toys and headed into the woods for some amusement.
This was the maple I started cutting a few weekends ago. Got part of the face cut done and was attacked by yellowjackets. They had a nest at the base of the tree. Well, it isn't there anymore... I guess the recent cool weather finally finished them off.
In the meantime, Sandy blew through and split the trunk about 4 feet up from where I made the cut. Had the winds been stronger or lasted much longer the tree probably would have barber chaired and fell on its own. You can see the half rounds where the saw sets... that's where the trunk split.
I finished the face cut and and made my back cut. It started to move and I got outta the way. It dropped right where I'd aimed it... I left the hinge wood a little thicker than usual on purpose. The wind was squirrely today and I could see the trunk flexing on that split. The tree had a decent lean where I wanted it to lay. But ya never know... the wind can do some unpredictable things, especially with a tree that's already split partway up the trunk.
Felling is the easy part. It's all that limbing and bucking afterward that gives you a workout. And these maples have some wacky limbs on them... they like to bury themselves in the ground when they fall. There was a lot of brush to move, too. Took me almost 6 hours but it's done and ready to be loaded to the yard for splitting. That's a project for another weekend.
Got a nice warm fire going here. Sure is fine not having to pay for heat.
