Peculiar Oak Take Down Opinions

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Snap

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Messages
466
Reaction score
208
Location
Nutmeg State
We had an interesting windstorm that ripped the top off a red oak. It has a side trunk that was previously removed so the remaining base is very wide and about 7 feet tall. The remaining shaft might be about 25-30 feet tall above the base and perhaps 24"+ in diameter. It is near the property line which is on the opposite side of the previous removal and the remaining trunk has a slight lean toward the property line. I want to avoid encroaching on the neighbor if possible.
How would you tackle dropping this?
Not having a saw bar anywhere near the width of the base,OAK1BaseFront.JPG would it be unreasonable to trim off the base portion below the previous removal so just the base of the remaining tall shaft remains to be treated like a single trunk tree?
Any other insight would be appreciated.
OAK1FullFront.JPGOAK1BaseRear.jpgOAK1FullRear.JPG
 
First, unless there's a fence or something of value on the neighbor's place, you're best off felling that spar in the direction it's leaning.

2nd, you need to be aware that the main spar and the one that was removed will actually behave like two separate trees if there's much force involved. Which could complicate things if you try to fall it away from its lean.

3rd, you don't need a long bar for a 24" tree, you just need to line up your cuts from one side to the other. A 16 , 18, or 20" bar will do just fine. You're dealing with a spar, which doesn't want to fall too much anyway--the forces and risks are less than you might think.

If you absolutely have to fall it away from your neighbor's place, get a rope (chain or wire rope will work if you lack good rope) about 2/3 of the way up and tension it. Then make your felling cuts. But again, imagine you have two trees to remove because due to included bark you pretty much do. It should not be too difficult if you understand what you're working with.

Hope I've made it clear.
 
First, unless there's a fence or something of value on the neighbor's place, you're best off felling that spar in the direction it's leaning.

2nd, you need to be aware that the main spar and the one that was removed will actually behave like two separate trees if there's much force involved. Which could complicate things if you try to fall it away from its lean.

3rd, you don't need a long bar for a 24" tree, you just need to line up your cuts from one side to the other. A 16 , 18, or 20" bar will do just fine. You're dealing with a spar, which doesn't want to fall too much anyway--the forces and risks are less than you might think.

If you absolutely have to fall it away from your neighbor's place, get a rope (chain or wire rope will work if you lack good rope) about 2/3 of the way up and tension it. Then make your felling cuts. But again, imagine you have two trees to remove because due to included bark you pretty much do. It should not be too difficult if you understand what you're working with.

Hope I've made it clear.
Thanks.
The base is not 24" though. It's probably more like 36 to 40". The 24" part is about 7 feet above the ground in the remaining single trunk. I need to cut near the base to be safe so it's a big awkward piece.
 
Get some spring boards... or some spurs. If you can whittle that stub of the already removed trunk back to the crotch so its only 6 feet off the ground, then roll a big old round of something over there to stand on , and are comfortable cutting at eye level, well then... if you are going to fell it a gainst the lean at least get a rope in it. You can fell snags like this in the 36" to 40" range with a 24" bar but what the saw?
 
You could leave it and have a wildlife tree. What kind of people traffic is in the area? How long does an oak snag stay up?
That is one of three so there is other standing potential for the birds. It was an interesting storm to observe; four trees ripped off. I don't know how long these take to deteriorate to the point of falling but never expected this to occur in the period of a few hours in the first place. I am trying to help a neighbor lady but if I can't get comfortable with it I'll have to leave it to her. This kind of work is very expensive around here now.
 
Get some spring boards... or some spurs. If you can whittle that stub of the already removed trunk back to the crotch so its only 6 feet off the ground, then roll a big old round of something over there to stand on , and are comfortable cutting at eye level, well then... if you are going to fell it a gainst the lean at least get a rope in it. You can fell snags like this in the 36" to 40" range with a 24" bar but what the saw?
That's what I wondered.....make it look like something that I've dealt with before. My reservation is how the fat bottom would react taken down intact.
 
That's what I wondered.....make it look like something that I've dealt with before. My reservation is how the fat bottom would react taken down intact.
If you are worried about the bottom falling apart (and it does look a bit squirrely) then take some heavy duty ratchet straps and put a few around the butt; then tie a good quality haul rope to the snag 2/3 up, tighten it up with a winch or come-along, and borrow a big saw and cut it at the base. You may still want to use wedges; whack them in, tighten the rope some more, then whack the wedges some more (don't walk through the lay!).

If it was me, I would climb it with hooks and cut it in 4 ft. lengths, pushing them over by hand; that is the quickest way, but takes equipment and experience.

What you don't want to do is to keep cutting your holding wood (hinge) thinking it will fall; it may not, and if you cut a corner, it may tear off and go in the wrong direction (with the weight and lean). You have to read the tree in order to devise a plan that is safe; just cutting into it with a small saw and hoping for the best is not a good plan! If you're unsure about the details I didn't include, find a pro.
 
I'd go down to Home Depot and see if you can rent an articulated lift for a day. If you are worried about dropping it in one piece, sectioning it down one piece at a time is a lot easier and safer. Shouldn't take more than a couple hours to get that cleaned up.
 
I'd go down to Home Depot and see if you can rent an articulated lift for a day. If you are worried about dropping it in one piece, sectioning it down one piece at a time is a lot easier and safer. Shouldn't take more than a couple hours to get that cleaned up.
Old news. Job is long done.
 
So, did you take it down? If so, did any of the suggestions help?
Job is done as much as it's going to be, but no, I let that odd trunk for her (my neighbor).
Any way I saw it, it was going onto her neighbor's property and I decided to keep out of that.
The suggestions would help but still an encroachment on neighbor's relations.
 
1639591610494.png
if it was me. i think this is a good learning tree to perfect your craft. i would rip down in the gap and cut that left piece out. to a comfortable working height.... then i would put in a 2 tier open face. ithnk its called a working dutchman, falling towards us. [at least a 1/3 into the tree] ] i want the right side to close up first. then get redirected to the left. when you put in the release. you want to run from 10 oclock to 4 o clock. leaving some angled hinge wood. becasue y have no top. your going to drive some stacked wedeges in at 1 to 2 oclock. then finish the release.
 
I know it's old news, but I'll throw my 2 cents in on how I would do it...

Without being there I can't tell how connected the two trees are...so to be safe I would do the below:

Looks like there's still a limb up high, which means with a throw line/ball you can easily get a rope in it...I would do that, get it tensioned up with a truck or mechanical puller or whatever. Get above the wide part (either ladder/climbing spikes/whatever) and put felling cuts in. Leave a pretty thick hinge. You don't want it going over while you're on a ladder obviously, get down and pull it over.
 
I know it's old news, but I'll throw my 2 cents in on how I would do it...

Without being there I can't tell how connected the two trees are...so to be safe I would do the below:

Looks like there's still a limb up high, which means with a throw line/ball you can easily get a rope in it...I would do that, get it tensioned up with a truck or mechanical puller or whatever. Get above the wide part (either ladder/climbing spikes/whatever) and put felling cuts in. Leave a pretty thick hinge. You do want it going over while you're on a ladder obviously, get down and pull it over.
No limbs on that tree. The picture is a bit deceptive, also in the scale. The prybar is peobably 5 1/2 feet tall so the top of the cut off trunk is maybe over 7 feet up. It's all pretty much one mass.
I appreciate all the input; It gives me something to think about and maybe I'll venture back over there sometime but in the meanwhile I have my own 20" oak reaching for the sky the needs to come down and be made into firewood. It has a leader, maybe 50 feet up that is a tree unto itself.
 
No limbs on that tree. The picture is a bit deceptive, also in the scale. The prybar is peobably 5 1/2 feet tall so the top of the cut off trunk is maybe over 7 feet up. It's all pretty much one mass.
I appreciate all the input; It gives me something to think about and maybe I'll venture back over there sometime but in the meanwhile I have my own 20" oak reaching for the sky the needs to come down and be made into firewood. It has a leader, maybe 50 feet up that is a tree unto itself.
Got ya, pictures can be deceiving. In that case, I would go up the tree on my spikes and attach the rope then do the rest. Makes a lot more problematic for a non-climbing person though, that's for sure.
 
Got ya, pictures can be deceiving. In that case, I would go up the tree on my spikes and attach the rope then do the rest. Makes a lot more problematic for a non-climbing person though, that's for sure.
No ****. I took down one that looked almost exactly like that last year - except it was about six feet tall total, and about... 16", maybe, at the widest? Whole 'nother animal - but without knowing how big this was, the pic could be the same tree (except mine was in sort of a swamp, and far from anyone else's fences).
 
Looks like there's still a limb up high, which means with a throw line/ball you can easily get a rope in it...I would do that, get it tensioned up with a truck or mechanical puller or whatever.
That's what I would have done.
I see a branch too, but if not I'd grab a ladder and set it up and hook a chain around it and use my skidding winch.
Screen Shot 2022-01-05 at 12.44.17 PM.png
If I couldn't I'd pull it to the small group of trees here using a pulley on one of them and a piece of equipment behind the oak or a maasdam rope puller
Pulley in this group of trees back to where the pic was taken from if possible, but anywhere to the left in this pic would be fine.
Screen Shot 2022-01-05 at 12.49.22 PM.png
Notch here with it on both sides of the crack and at about the same height as the log round on the left( be sure to cut below the defect on the left side just above the log round left of the crack). The notch doesn't need to be real deep, but should be sufficient to hold the weight of the tree's lean, probably about a ft deep, but if you don't have a longer bar you would need to go a bit deeper so you can reach into the middle for the back cut(or plunge cut the hinge leaving a small post on the low side).
If you don't have a maasdam or can't get a piece of equipment to pull it over, you will need to make the notch much deeper or you'll be stacking wedges and pounding for a while.
It's important to remember that it's a relatively short stem and it has no canopy weight so if you can match your back cuts it should go over easily with a maasdam.
Screen Shot 2022-01-05 at 12.49.49 PM.png
 
No ****. I took down one that looked almost exactly like that last year - except it was about six feet tall total, and about... 16", maybe, at the widest? Whole 'nother animal - but without knowing how big this was, the pic could be the same tree (except mine was in sort of a swamp, and far from anyone else's fences).
If you ever need a hand with one let me know, I'm 45-1:15hr away depending on where you are down there.
 
Back
Top