How to safely fell this fallen tree?

[Egon]

Interesting situation.

Do you really have to down the crown?

Before I would give any serious advice I'd have to see more of the situation.

But on a more intriguing mode consider during a hole in the tree trunk, filling the cavity with black gunpowder, put in a plug and then drill the plug for a fuze. Light, run and watch the results.:thumbsup:

 

[orezok]

That tree may weigh several tons. If you chain it high and it decides to "go the other way", you might be in for a wild ride in your tractor.

 

[s219]

Not an easy situation. I'd probably try pulling from the top with a long rope and pulleys so that you can pull in a different direction than the tractor is moving, and that would allow plenty of slack in case something went wrong. But also, pull a little and see what it does before committing and pulling all the way. If it doesn't go easy, best not to fight it.

Another option is to domino a bigger tree into the snag, but that takes careful planning and analysis to pull off, not to mention perfect aim with the cuts. And you'd need to notch the supporting tree so that it goes over easy. That would be a lot of wood on the ground at the end of the day!

 

[dave1949]

I wonder if there is any shattering or splitting in the trunk due to being broken off, or the landing.

 

[CHDinCT]

Earlier this year I was faced with a similar situation. The top of a tall red oak broke off in Storm Sandy, and took six months to fall, eventually ending up upside down stuck in the ground and leaning against the trunk of the tree it broke off from. After thinking about how to get it down I settled on using a winch with the cable redirected through a snatch block so I wasn't pulling it right towards me. Put up a ladder and attached the winch cable about 15 feet up. It pulled right over and landed safely. About 2 feet of the end of one branch was stuck in the soil. Had to use my backhoe and thumb to pull it out (after feebly trying to pull it up by hand). Still need to get the remaining part of the tree down.

So, I vote for pulling it over from as high up as you can and using a snatch block so it won't come at you. You wouldn't catch me sawing on that leaner until it's down. My :2cents: anyway.

 

[luvmexfood]

Hear is a website that has some of the best cutting diagrams. In case the link wont work go to the forestry forum, chainsaws and then felling diagrams. Lot of useful information. http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,69508.0/all.html

 

[downsizingnow48]

My approach based on trying most of these approaches one time or the other:
Option 1: Leave it for Mother Nature and stay away from it in the meantime.
Option 2: See Option 1.
Non-Option 3: Do not try to cut it, lots of things could happen, most of them bad.
Non-Option 4: Do not pull with tractor less than a 5 ton skidsteer which is heavy and low center of gravity. That tree could rotate, or go somewhere you hadn't thought of, and yank most rubber tired tractors all over the place. Dont ask me how I learned that.
If you have to get it down, get a tree crew. They will either pull it out with a skidsteer or take it down from above with a crane.
(I should add that the winch/come-along way, with a lot of cable between you and the tree, is also safe and effective. Even better with a snatch block arranged so there is another tree between you and the one you are pulling on.)

 

[k0ua]

Here is what I would do. I would make an 8 foot A frame out of two or three strong poles chained together at the top. Set it to lean about 30 degrees toward the base of the "leaner' Run your 80 foot chain up and over the A frame you just built and set, to the base of the leaner, down as low as you can get it to the ground. Now go to tractor and pull. The A frame will pull the base up as well as out of the ground as it starts to come towards the pulling direction. Of course the A frame will fall over as soon as it breaks over and by then the base should be out of the ground and your tractor is moving along pulling the base along the ground. Tree falls hopefully without incident. Give it a try.

James K0UA

 

[compact]

Major danger from broken branches above. If it's hung up hard enough, if you try cutting pieces off of the trunk, the trunk will walk towards the snag. You don't want to be under the snag as branches come down with a purpose. Is anything else broken off up there that could come loose? it can be hard to tell in a thick green canopy. Chained high it could definitely give a small tractor (under 5Klb) a ride if you pull it, break it loose, but don't have the iron to hold it or move it forwards. Being pulled backwards, over terrain and into trees, rocks, and whatever is bad. My neighbor broke his hip that way pulling a maple with a 22HP Kubota, or should we say the tree pulled the Kubota. You can try to chain down low, watch the top and make sure it doesn't pull forward. I'd venture you need a 15Klb machine to move that stump driven into the ground. It would be possible to make a cut and pull it off to the side or rear, with that you might get by with something in the 8,000 lb tractor range. If you're new with a saw this isn't a good tree to learn on. An excavator would work well (I have one so everything here involves an excavator...). Under no circumstances should you cut any supporting trees, way too much to go wrong, and don't drop anything else into the snag or you'll have a real mess. If possible i'd let mother nature deal with it and if it falls it'll be easy to deal with, basically solves your puzzle for you. Professional logger would winch it with a skidder and it wouldn't be a big deal but with small machines it's neither easy or safe.

 

[hslogger]

I do have experience in this kind of thing and I will tell you my two options. In an urban situation where the falling is critical to structures you can hire it out to an experienced licensed arborist. If you are sure sure sure that the fall won't hazard anything, here you go. You can set up a big *** tractor with a block, or a smaller tractor or truck with blocks AND tackle. The idea is to cripple the thing you want to cut. What I mean is face it, up high as you safely can cut, and then make a back cut, have yourself a wedge or two and pound them strong and gentle. Leave enough holding wood that you don't pinch it. Now have your pull line handy and put it on the upper piece. Get the heck of there and back to your rig and pull strong and quick in the opposite direction of the desired fall. It SHOULD, ahem break at the hinge, fold and fall at the face and go down unless it hangs up again. That is ideal outcome. Always you have the possibility it breaks again and that is a wild card. I can't tell if that is a hemlock or cedar.

Another way, is to have a very good fast professional saw, and be prepared to stand right there the whole time. Make a very slanted cut from so that it is steep. When it is finally weakend and or cut through, it will slide down and stick in the ground again. Then you keep repeating that. You won't have a lot of control over it,but you are at the base and can move from side to side or back away quickly. It is scary even to those who know how to do it. That's why we get paid to do it. Above all, wear CHAPS, GLOVES, HARDHAT, and eyewear protection that does not hamper your vision. Discretion is the better part of valor.