Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[Loaderman22]

I would trim the branches starting at the butt, a combination of walking on top and cutting below. If the top is that hung up, I doubt some branches at the butt are holding up much weight, especially if butt is on the ground. I'd go as far as I could safely reach for a cross cut at least to get the first butt log for milling. I am assuming it would be 17 or 18' long. pull the butt log under the rest of the tree, towards the top of the tree, this may help break some of those lower branches off, helping it drop down more. Use the butt log to undermine the upper sections possibly, that way if it drops, you are no where close.

 

[Skeans1]

Is this western red cedar?

 

[plowhog]

Is this western red cedar?

I don't know .... but I think western red cedar only grows in the coastal area. I'm more in the Sierra Nevada range so its likely California incense cedar.

 

[plowhog]

Here is another similar cedar that was felled. This one has rot in it, but is not hung up in a dense forest. It's about the same size as the one I am trying to fish out of the forest.

 

[Skeans1]

I don't know .... but I think western red cedar only grows in the coastal area. I'm more in the Sierra Nevada range so its likely California incense cedar.

So a yellow cedar, I’m not super familiar with but if it was a red cedar they can be a bugger to pull against the limbs. That said I’d be tempted to walk it and limb it how it sits to see if you can get the choker at least at the half way mark of the tree.

 

[Skeans1]

A couple years back I did one that was hanging out over a ravine with nothing holding the top and the butt was in the air as well doing exactly what I described.

 

[plowhog]

I’d be tempted to walk it and limb it how it sits to see if you can get the choker at least at the half way mark of the tree.

That makes a lot of sense. It seems moderately safe to walk it and limb what I safely can from above-- top and sides anyway. Limbing away the sides will reduce the additional things that can hang up on the way out. I will probably take my pole pruner for some longer reaches where I dare not tread-- although using that for limbing really sucks.

The wildcard being if there is a loud crack and I wind up dropping to the ground with it-- with me on top. (I'm not as resilient to that sort of stuff as I used to be.)

I have some other pictures of the tree from other angles, but its so densely forested that its not worth posting them.

 

[dodge man]

Can it sit for a few weeks or months? Nature will drop it lower for you but it might take time.

 

[plowhog]

Can it sit for a few weeks or months?

I don't have that option. 1- it was either totally or mostly dead, so I want to mill it before it decays. 2- once it starts raining, a seasonal creek will be blocking my access.

 

[Skeans1]

That makes a lot of sense. It seems moderately safe to walk it and limb what I safely can from above-- top and sides anyway. Limbing away the sides will reduce the additional things that can hang up on the way out. I will probably take my pole pruner for some longer reaches where I dare not tread-- although using that for limbing really sucks.

The wildcard being if there is a loud crack and I wind up dropping to the ground with it-- with me on top. (I'm not as resilient to that sort of stuff as I used to be.)

I have some other pictures of the tree from other angles, but its so densely forested that its not worth posting them.

Normally as I’m limbing them I’ll be bouncing on it as I’m going and you’ll feel if something feels loose vs being solid.