Man killed while felling trees

Varmintmist · Oct 7, 2004

wedge and notch are 2 different things. A notch is what you cut into the falling side of the tree and a wedge is what you insert into the felling cut.

http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/?url=%2Fnode1462%2Easp%3Fframes%3Dfalse

This is a very good pictorial overview of how to fell trees and some good saftey tips.

FYI, I dropped a lot of trees, and spend a lot of time with a saw I AM NOT A PRO. I do what I need to and am fairly good at it. I ran 6 gallons of bar oil through my saws last summer, and only about 3 this summer. That does NOT mean that I enjoy felling trees, that means that MOST of the time, I get them to drop where I want them and am pretty confident that they will go down safely. I also make sure I have a place to run, because I have done that to. The ones that get you aren't the ones that look ugly, because you take your time. Its the "easy" ones that you have to watch.

Junkman · Oct 7, 2004

This picture from another post comes to mind about pros cutting trees.......

Mark4510 · Oct 7, 2004

Varmintmist,
Amen to that. We burn wood for most of our heat and, as a result, go through a lot of wood. I can't remember a year that we have not cut wood.

Three things about cutting trees make me nervous every time:
1. Limbs raining down on me while cutting
2. The tree getting away from me and I have no path out.
3. Wood shrapnel when the tree lands.

I have not had a problem so far but perhaps that is because the have a healthy dose of respect/fear for the whole process.

Mark.

Varmintmist · Oct 7, 2004

( Varmintmist,
Amen to that.

I have not had a problem so far but perhaps that is because the have a healthy dose of respect/fear for the whole process.

Mark. )

Zzzactly. The second you dont respect it, it will bite you.

44trxfun · Oct 7, 2004

( so I gave up after cutting as much as I could get to, thinking it would come down the rest of the way by itself when the wind blew...and it did...about 5 months later!)

This seems like a smart way to go under certain circumstances, but it might be a good idea to mark that tree as a hazard in case the "uninformed" happen to be there on that windy day.

Libertine · Oct 10, 2004

Junkman:

If you have limited experience, I would ask for help from someone experienced before tackling a 70' high 30" diameter tree. 

ummm. Good advice. Unfortunately it's already down, cut up, brush chipped, etc. Was very nervous about it because it was leaning (slightly) in the opposite direction from which it needed to fall and I didn't want it going over on a storage container & the house! It was a dual trunked elm. The 1/2 leaning the right way was easy. Spent far more time looking, meditating and sleeping on it than it took to get it down. Rather than shimmeying/laddering up (I hate heights) to cut branches weighing (pulling it) in the wrong direction, connected via rope & chain about 25'-30' up and pulled with tractor to see if I could get if to move. It did just a hair so I knew tractor could move it. Then began notching in direction of fall with slight back cut. Took two tries (two cuts to deepen notch) & the tractor finally pulled in over exactly where I wanted it. I took a few photos with 35mm will digitize & postem.

Am almost done with a smaller (height about 30'-35') one about 15"-18" diameter (it's an old one that had been pruned back at the top in prior years) where the limbs were curling around a pole & wires. Don't know how much time spent studying that one before each cut to see how each branch would fall. Anyway, am now down to two small branches above the wires (got the biggest one down yesterday). Hope to finish that today and cut & pull the trunk over. Whew. Very careful, very slow, one step at a time.

Regarding get the chain stuck in a cut, the only time that has happened to me was when cutting up a trunk after felling. And that was my fault for not paying attention to the way the trunk lay (i.e. stress/weight factors).

Anyway, thanks for the response.

JEH

PS Your pic of the beaver crushed under his own tree cute. Tells a nice story about felling trees!!!!!

Libertine · Oct 10, 2004

slowzuki:

 The main purpose of the "wedge" or notch is so the hinge doesn't break too soon when the tree is felled. The hinge is the most important part of felling a tree. Hollow/rotten trees are dangerous because they don't have good material to form a hinge with. 

Thanks for your description on the use of wedges. Question? Are the wedges the same kind of wedge used for log splitting, or, is there a special "tree felling" wedge?

Actually, I do have a rotted out (hollow core) black cherry (I think it is) to take out (after another large dual trunked elm). I realized I might have to handle that one a bit differently and I appreciate your comments. It's not real big (I am guessing around 50') and doesn't have a lot of protruding branches to worry about so the main concern is the trunk. But it is about 15'-20' from electric/telephone lines so will have to make sure it falls in the right direction.

Again, thanks.

JEH

Libertine · Oct 10, 2004

Varmintmist:

Thanks for the reference. Lotta good stuff there. My very limited knowledge of it came from studying forestry textbooks and starting with small stuff. First tree I ever did was only 15'-20'. It seems the bottom line is go slow, think it out, plan carefully BEFORE you do anything and pay attention to what's going on. Of course, that's really the secret to safety in anything. Thanks again.

JEH

GaryM · Oct 10, 2004

( Thanks for your description on the use of wedges. Question? Are the wedges the same kind of wedge used for log splitting, or, is there a special "tree felling" wedge?)

The wedges used for splitting are made of steel. The wedges used for tree felling are plastic or aluminum. You wouldn't want to accidently hit a steel wedge with your running saw chain. The plastic or aluminum wedges won't damage your chain. At least not as much anyway. I use plastic myself.

Varmintmist · Oct 11, 2004

Plastic felling wedges are available at pretty much any saw shop. Some shops dont carry them because most firewood cutters dont use them, and the guys that do already have them. You might have to look around.

They also come in handy when you are cutting a downed "stressed" tree. Ie, downpressure in the center of the tree. Normally you can top cut through a bit then undercut and let it go. However, if you (or me /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif) go to far with the top cut, the saw binds. With a wedge and a 2lb hammer, you just pop the wedge once into the cut with the hammer, and pull the saw out. No fuss, no muss, no damage to the bar,chain, or back.

You can use a splitting wedge, IF you are not going to use the saw in the tree again. EX. You have the hollow cherry. (Every hollow is special so you figure out how to cut your own.) You get your notch(s) cut and back cut and the tree sets on the felling cut. Its just sitting there on your felling wedge. Insert a splitting wedge or two and get a bigger hammer /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif When you hear the tree creak right after you just applied the 8-12 lb convincer, back up, its ready to go.

Putting pressure on the tree with a come-a-long or tractor is good. Come-a-long is probably safer unless you have enought rope to get the tractor away from the place the tree will fall. I think I have more control with wedges. But both is always good. Put pressure on with the tractor, and tap you wedges in to get it to fall.