How to remove this tree

[tallyho8]

After Katrina I cut, hauled and burned 60 trees that fell on my property, mostly ones that were on my neighbors property before Katrina. There are a couple I have not gotten to yet because they are hung up in other trees and I see no easy solution. My neighbor has given me permission to cut anything I want on his property because it is just woods and he does not maintain it. The drawing shows a large pecan tree that fell and is being held up by a large hackberry tree. It extends well over my property shading that section of property so that the grass won't grow and creating a dangerous condition. I wish I could eliminate this problem without destroying my field fence that is under the trees. My question is: What is the easiest, safest, cheapest way to eliminate this problem.
PS. I Don't climb trees!

 

[woodchuckie]

If the leaning tree can be cut free at the bottom you can pull it out of the other tree by going on neighbors property. I pull them out like that with my L2800 but most of them are dead and dried out so they are much lighter.

 

[dmccarty]

How thick is that limb holding up the leaning tree?

I just took down a leaner that was being held up by another tree near our well house. The holding limb is only 2-3 inches. The leaner was only leaning about 70 degrees. I tried to push it with the tractor and the tree did not move. The leaner was 15ish inches on the stump.

So it was going to be done the hard way. I first cleared out the area the tree would land in as well as where I would be cutting. I then hooked a comealong to the tree and put some tension on the tree. I tried to pull the leaner over enough for it to fall but the stump was not going to allow this to happen. So I cut the leaner and pulled with the comealong. That put enough weight on the holding limb which broke and the lean came on down.

Now I have a widow maker in that broken limb since its still hanging in the tree. But it will come down in the next good wind storm.

Why did I use the comealong instead of the tractor? The leaner was just at the edge of the woods and getting the tractor in there would likely damage the roots of a large tree. I was able to place the comealong such that a decent size tree was between me and the leaning tree so it was safer. As it was, whenever I heard the leaner make some noise I ran like a scalded dog. I could not do that on the tractor.

I have a leaner, 30+ inches, that I'm waiting for mother nature to take down. The holding tree and a couple of others died. I think lightning got them. The only way to get them down safely is with a large equipment or a cherry picker.

I watched a tree service clear a bunch of pines from our neighbor back in the city. They where impressive. And scary. No safety equipment except gloves and maybe a harness. They climbed those trees to top them out. They would attach lines to the section that was being cut so that it would drop away from a fence and the guys house. Short of this kinda of skill/daring not sure how that tree will get down without risk and/or money if the limb/tree is real big.

Later,
Dan

 

[randy41]

do you have a picture of it tally?

 

[charlz]

Based on the drawing I would cut the leaner at the stump and then start cutting sections off until the top drops down on your side. Then either cut it some more or give it a quick yank with a truck to get it to clear your fence before it hits the ground.

Hard to tell from a drawing though if you could actually get it to 'teeter totter' so the top drops down on your side of the fence.

Charles

 

[tallyho8]

If the leaning tree can be cut free at the bottom you can pull it out of the other tree by going on neighbors property. I pull them out like that with my L2800 but most of them are dead and dried out so they are much lighter.

My very simple drawing does not show that these trees are in the middle of dense woods and I could not get a tractor on that side without cutting and moving a dozen large trees.

 

[tallyho8]

do you have a picture of it tally?

I can not get a good photo because these trees are in dense woods with heavy foliage.

 

[tallyho8]

How thick is that limb holding up the leaning tree?
Later,
Dan

My drawing is oversimplified and does not show that the limb is actually more of a fork in the tree and the supporting branches are over a foot thick. There are also many smaller branches that would catch and hang up as it went down if that branch could be broken or cut.

 

[Ductape]

Since you have permission, cut a large tree nearby to fall on the leaner, bringing them both to the ground. Be very careful! When i worked in the woods, i was taught to never try to bring down a leaner by cutting it. If you can't pull it off the second tree with your tractor, or comealong, or some other method.... drop another tree on it.

 

[tallyho8]

Based on the drawing I would cut the leaner at the stump and then start cutting sections off until the top drops down on your side. Then either cut it some more or give it a quick yank with a truck to get it to clear your fence before it hits the ground.
Hard to tell from a drawing though if you could actually get it to 'teeter totter' so the top drops down on your side of the fence.
Charles

This is similar to the only idea I have had so far. It is hard to tell if I cut off a section if it will slide down toward the stump or "teeter totter" the other way. I do know that this is one of those situations where it is very easy to get your chainsaw stuck in the cut as you cut the lower part because the tree is bent and twisted and as you cut each couple of inches the wood separates and tries to spring back straight with great force. This usually causes either your chain to come off or your bar to get caught.

My side of the fence is clear pasture but the other side is thick woods and not possible to get any equipment into.

If I can not come up with a solution, I have to wait for years till it rots and falls. This is very aggravating because a few branches always fall off right before I mow and have to be cleaned up first, also, when the larger pieces break off the fence will go and my horses may escape providing they weren't under the branch as it fell.

I'm sure the collective minds of TBN will come up with some easier solution for me.

 

[tallyho8]

Since you have permission, cut a large tree nearby to fall on the leaner, bringing them both to the ground. Be very careful! When i worked in the woods, i was taught to never try to bring down a leaner by cutting it. If you can't pull it off the second tree with your tractor, or comealong, or some other method.... drop another tree on it.

If the woods were a little less dense and the leaner wasn't quite so large this method would probably work well. However the woods are so large and dense here that if I cut a big one to fall on the leaner it will probably hang on a couple of other trees and then I will have 2 or more leaners.

I wish it were possible for me to just burn the tree but trees in this swamp area don't burn well and our local fire department would probably frown on this procedure

 

[rox]

If the woods were a little less dense and the leaner wasn't quite so large this method would probably work well. However the woods are so large and dense here that if I cut a big one to fall on the leaner it will probably hang on a couple of other trees and then I will have 2 or more leaners.

I wish it were possible for me to just burn the tree but trees in this swamp area don't burn well and our local fire department would probably frown on this procedure

TallyHo, Although I have prunned well over 500 trees I am by no means an expert, I jsut want to say that first. I ahve a Stihl Combi system, and also the extension pole. We bought a small chainsaw that attaches to the combi pole. I would guess with the extension the pole saw (small chainsaw head) reaches probably 14 to 15 feet. How high up is that leaning tree? I think I wouldbe tempted to use my really long pole/chainsaw and start slowly cutting from y side of the fence. I would only do this if i could reach it while standing on the ground. I would jsut work real careful and if everything started to come down I would run like the dickens. In toher words I would cut the top of the tree limbs. You would need to talk with a Stihl Dealer becsue the combi system comes with several different sized motors. I have the medium sized motor and it will cut a limb/tree a foot in diameter. Takes some time but it will cut it. Oh and I would start with a brand new chainsaw blade, I buy the Stihld chain saws andlike them a lot.

 

[cp1969]

My question is: What is the easiest, safest, cheapest way to eliminate this problem.
PS. I Don't climb trees!

Pick two, because you can't have all three. Easiest & safest would be to call a professional tree trimmer but it won't be cheap.

If you can get one back to that part of your property, maybe a compromise is to rent a bucket truck or tow-behind lift (so you don't have to climb) and whittle the branches over your property down, one little limb at a time.

 

[wushaw]

I would use a pole saw and just start widdling away the top weight/branches a little at a time till you get to the part that is still hung up, be sure to leave a few feet of trunk hanging over and start at the bottom with a regular saw and work your way up...slowly from the neighbors side making the neighbor side shorter and shorter then eventually you maybe able to just push it over once you get it in a verticle position.

 

[tallyho8]

Pick two, because you can't have all three. Easiest & safest would be to call a professional tree trimmer but it won't be cheap.

If you can get one back to that part of your property, maybe a compromise is to rent a bucket truck or tow-behind lift (so you don't have to climb) and whittle the branches over your property down, one little limb at a time.

Well, as Meatloaf said, "Two out of three ain't bad". Calling a professional is not a possibility. Katrina hit us pretty hard and after I got a "rough" estimate from a professional for "over $60,000" to remove all the damaged trees from my property (which, of course, were not covered by my homeowners policy) I decided to retire early and close my (damaged) air conditioning shop and do the tree work myself to keep us financially stable.

I have never seen bucket trucks for rent in this area, but that would be a great idea if I could find someone to rent one out for a day. I would not consider getting under the tree on a tow-behind lift because the tree has been dead for almost 2 years now and is rotten and unstable. With a bucket truck I could get above the limbs and cut and let them fall straight down. When I get a chance I will call a few rental companies and see if any rent out bucket trucks.

 

[tallyho8]

I would use a pole saw and just start widdling away the top weight/branches a little at a time till you get to the part that is still hung up, be sure to leave a few feet of trunk hanging over and start at the bottom with a regular saw and work your way up...slowly from the neighbors side making the neighbor side shorter and shorter then eventually you maybe able to just push it over once you get it in a verticle position.

Since the lowest remaining branches are over 20 feet high a pole saw would not reach and I would not stand on a ladder under that rotten tree while cutting branches above my head.

And I still have 4 trees like this to do but this is the largest one and they are all similar heights.

Keep the ideas coming folks! I may be able to put two or three of them together and eliminate this monster.

 

[cp1969]

To quote someone who was near and dear to all of us..."I feel your pain."

In June 2001, I came home to a colossal mess. A severe thunderstorm had downed one of our beautiful 50'+ pecan trees. It didn't uproot it--it was broken at the 16' level so I had the fracture 16' above the ground and the balance of the tree on the ground or sticking up in the air at crazy, unbelievable angles. It had also twisted about 1/4 turn so it was loaded with stress.

The tree trimming 'professionals' swooped through and the lowest bid I was quoted was $2200 to fell and cut it into haulable chunks or $800 just to drop the thing the rest of the way to the ground.

The trunk measured 108" in circumference, so I knew I was not looking at a job my 14" Poulan could handle. Armed with credit card, I bought a 20" Husky 55 and went to work.

First step was to impose upon a friend who had a tandem axle boom truck. The idea was to pull the broken top of the tree to the ground. It didn't work; that truck couldn't budge it because although the trunk was broken it was still very much attached, so all the cutting was going to take place as it lay.

I am not a rookie to cutting wood, but those limbs were so twisted and stressed that I would invariably guess wrong and get the saw stuck. At one point, I had both saws and an extra bar and chain stuck and had to resort to chopping with an axe (Oh, how vulgar! No gasoline being burned!) to get one free.

I finally got enough limbs cut off so that the whole tree might fall on its side if I pulled on it and cut it close to the ground. With ropes, chains, wedges, bars, and 4x4 truck straining against it in low reverse, I was finally able to drop the whole tree on its side so that it could be cut in relative safety. Toward the end of that felling operation, a total stranger drove by and stopped, got out and warned me, "Son....you're going to kill yourself" and left. He was probably an old logger who could see that I was doing something very wrong, but the thought of death at that moment didn't really seem all that bad, so I tipped a sweaty hat to him for his advice and soldiered on. Shortly thereafter, I had the whole she-bang on the ground and the less-dangerous but much bigger job of cutting up and hauling off the carcass could begin. I split most of it but tried in vain to get someone to take the 16' long log to make pecan lumber out of it, but no sawmill was interested. It, too, ended up cooking a lot of people's food. A shame.

Mother Nature cooperated to her utmost by blessing us with 105 degree days
in which to clean up the mess "she" made. To top it, I was nursing a case of tendonitis and could not even start the new saw with my right arm. In a case of 'walking it out', though, by the time the job was finished, my arm was fine!! Cutting all that wood was apparently the perfect occupational therapy that arm needed and it hasn't bothered me since.

What's the moral of this story? I don't know...other than, if you're going to do it yourself, get ready to sweat.

And be safe. That stranger is an old man in a brown Chevy pickup. If he shows up at your place, listen to him.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I would use a pole saw and just start widdling away the top weight/branches a little at a time till you get to the part that is still hung up, be sure to leave a few feet of trunk hanging over and start at the bottom with a regular saw and work your way up...slowly from the neighbors side making the neighbor side shorter and shorter then eventually you maybe able to just push it over once you get it in a verticle position.

I think, as mentioned in the quote, that getting rid of the overhanging branches would be a good start. At 20' the only way I can conceptualize from the ground would be what I [miss?] call a loop saw - one driven by seesawing a rope. If you can part the overhang close to the Y yourleaner will no longerbe snagged. Then with heavy come alongs and appropriate anchor trees to pull from you could roll the poled stump sideways till free of the ground. Then pull straight back, and upward if you can arrange it, and thus slide the pole out of the Y. [My experience with cutting on the downhill side leads me to avoid it as being unpredictably unsafe.] Ive lost track of where the fence is. An easy save may not be possible, but rebuild probably is.
larry

p.s.edit - I looked at it again and think that since the overhang subtracts weight from the stump it would be easier to mobilize/unstick the stump before cutting off the overhang.

 

[dmccarty]

Forgot to mention in my previous post but my father in law had a large tree, 24+ inches blow into another tree when Floyd visited a few years ago. What really added to the problem was that the tree was leaning over the corner of his house. The dining room to be exact.

We sat and pondered the trees trying to figure out how to cut them down without getting hurt/killed and hitting the house. There was no way for us to do it. He paid a couple thousand dollars to a neighbor with a crane and a cherry picker to cut the two trees down. They had to use the crane to prevent the cut section of tree from hitting the house.

Let me clarify what I did since there may be some confusion with the words leaner/leaning. I cut down the tree that was leaning. The one leaning with an angle. Not the tree holding the leaning tree up. Cutting the holding tree would be very risky and make a bigger mess. In my case if I cut the holding tree it it would just increase the odds of both trees getting hung up in other trees. And it sure looked like I would have a good chance of getting killed by cutting the holding tree.

Later,
Dan

 

[tallyho8]

I do agree with your replies that cutting the bottom of the leaner is unpredictably unsafe. This part of the wood is under such enormous stress from being bent that each small cut will make a piece fracture and "twang" back straight. The stump is very sturdy and well attached to the ground and my largest tractor would not even start to budge it. If the tree was cut by the "Y" that is holding it up, it would probably fall straight down but I know I could not pull it sideways without cutting the stump first. I have cut many smaller leaners like this since Katrina and even the small ones that are under stress are quite dangerous and pose many hazards. Before Katrina I cut hundreds of standing trees while clearing my property and have cut many fallen trees since Katrina (see photo which I have posted before) and these are a piece of cake compared to the leaners.
I don't know if I am physically able to operate a loop saw anymore especially on a large dried out pecan tree branch. Pecan is very hard wood and after it dries it is like cutting stone. The only good part about it is that it makes excellent firewood and is probably the best wood to smoke with.