How to clear fallen tree safely?

[txdon]

The dead tree finally fell on the road and on the fence. It broke about six feet from the ground. How would you go about clearing it with #1 safety in mind, #2 minimal risk of tractor damage, #3 without breaking the fence?

 

[GregJ]

Hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like all the pressure is going toward the top of the tree. Assuming that, I would do a relief cut and then cut through at the base of the tree and it should just fall across the road. If you mess with the top of that tree, you may have a high powered sling shot on your hands. At least that's how it appears in the picture.

Greg

 

[ScottAR]

Posts like these can be very sticky as judgment calls are difficult to make without actually being there. The base of the tree isn't visible but I'd guess it isn't broken?

I'd probably start at the top bucking into smallish chunks. Small cuts on top and finish from the bottom. Go up the trunk and watch which way it wants to go. Mind the tension on the trunk so it doesn't bind up the saw. Go slowly and plan your moves if somthing goes wrong.

 

[beenthere]

Edit: Do just as Scott said (while I was posting), and keep in mind what Greg says about tension built up in the top. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I would clean up the top first, keeping in mind that there are limbs that are stressed and holding up that end of the stem. With all the top cleaned up, then you will know where the load is, and will have eliminated the twist stress and those limbs that are now stressed. That will leave you free to work from the top end up the stem toward the broken section. As you go, cut a shallow cut on the top side of the horizontal stem, followed by a cut up from the bottom. Keep the cuts straight (level with the ground) and cut in short lengths (firewood length or two to three times that length). You will then just have little weight to deal with and find when you get to the standing portion of the trunk, it can be felled to one side or the other with a cut at the stump. I wouldn't get close to it with a loader, but only work from the 'top' down to the stump in small increments.

Be careful, and you should be fine. Safety wise, use chain saw chaps, hard hat, and ear plugs. Have a sharp chain.

 

[Inspector507]

I think I would cut the top on the road side as close to the fence as you can. But be careful, the rest of the tree will fall to the ground, hopefully, at that point. Not much more weight will be put on the fence. Then I'd continue to keep cutting at the "new" top and keep as much as possible from falling into the fence

 

[GregJ]

TxDon,
In my first response I neglected the part about not damaging the fence.....Ooops. After looking at it again, is there any way that you could attach a come-a-long to the top of the base of the tree and pull it back away from the fence to relieve some of the pressure on the top. At the same time you could perhaps fasten a choker around the top and pull it sideways up the road. This way you aren't anywhere near the tree when it comes apart and you can probably protect the fence.
Once again it's hard to tell from the photos, but I have had similar situations where the limbs from the top of a tree were dug in and created tremendous forces at the top of the tree. From a safety perspective, I'd be very careful around the top of the tree.

Good Luck,
Greg

 

[Deerlope]

I would back my tractor as close as I could to the broken part and throw a chain around, pull very slowly and get that broken end on the ground. If it is rotted that bad it will pull right off there very easy. Done it a 100 times.

 

[beenthere]

If I did anything, I'd put a cross-buck support under the 'stem' at the fence to support any 'stem' load (apparent to me there is not much load on the fence now, from what can be seen in the picture). Then cut up the top.

Any questions?

 

[normde2001]

I agree. I would rig a support, (jack), on the base side of the fence , then cut next to that toward the base. There doesn't appear ,to me, to be much, if any, spring left in the broken trunk. Then you can pull the tree off the road and the fence and cut it up at your leisure. This is assuming, of course, that you have a chainsaw and a way to pull the tree.

 

[txdon]

After looking at this for 2 weeks now, hoping it would fall on its own I have come to the conclusion I cannot risk any cuts with the chainsaw until the tree is on the ground. Right now the cracked part of the tree looks like it would not need much to fall that six feet and because the top part of the tree is already on tension, stretching the top barbed wire about a foot down, and the tree has a curve in it (it runs parallel to the fence on the far side), I cannot predict which way the tree will move if a cut jiggles the cracked area enough to snap. OK, forget the fence, I can repair that later. there are too many larger trees to work in any area but the open area on the road. I cannot get to the other side with the tractor. Thanks for the suggestions so far. I like deerlope's suggestion except for the part "back the tractor as close to the broken part..." , that may interfere with rule #2.