Pull down a high widow maker.

[shooterdon]

Interested in seeing how people suggest getting a rope up there and tying it off. I have no clue.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Very hard to see from the picture, I would be afraid to pull branches off that are only fracture or half broken they would damage the tree further... From the picture it looks like a few trees could get flat out cut out... Is renting a man lift / genie a option ? it could be cheaper then hire it out.

If its just stuck in other branches then yeah a rope and a object secure at the end would pull these off but if they are still attached to the tree and you want them to stay alive cutting them would cause less arm to the trees.

This are your options, rope and try to get them down, rent a Genie, hire it out or you just let nature do its thing and you let it be....

Good luck.

 

[BlueKnife]

In the arborist world, that is called a Throw Rope. It's a paracord with a weight on the end that you throw up in a tree or shoot up in a tree and then use that to increase the rope diameter to yank the limb out. They also use it to set their climbing ropes so arborists without hi-ranger equipment that have to physically climb a tree.

I was an arborist for 20 years. That is called a throw line and there are several options available. The line is somewhat stiffer and slicker than paracord and is available in a variety of diameters. The weight is usually an 8-16 oz cordura bag with lead shot in it, although there are also hard rubber balls available. As the name implies, they are typically thrown into the tree, but there are other options, the most popular of which is a device that resembles a large slingshot that is braced against the ground. The use of a bow to set lines is very unusual and is almost exclusively limited to recreational climbing in the very tall conifers of OR and CA.

Setting a throw line is a skill, like most, that can be developed through practice. It's also something, like many of the things that arborists do, that can be very hazardous if done incorrectly. We need more information from the OP, ideally to include pictures. He might be just fine, or he might be likely to injure/kill himself and/or cause property damage. To start, it'd be good to know what "high" means, in the OP's mind. The definition of that word varies wildly from person to person.

 

[2manyrocks]

With it being the tree tops, it's going to be very difficult to throw the bag where you want it and hoist the bull rope up where you want it. Every nearby tree branch could snag the throw line.

It's a reasonable concern whether pulling will do more harm than good.

 

[Rockbadchild]

one thing that hasn't been mention... do it the American way, a shotgun with a box of bird shot and shoot them off...

 

[BlueKnife]

With it being the tree tops, it's going to be very difficult to throw the bag where you want it and hoist the bull rope up where you want it. Every nearby tree branch could snag the throw line.

It's a reasonable concern whether pulling will do more harm than good.

I just saw the OP's picture after my post above. With the tops broken out like that he'd be better off just taking the broken ones down.

 

[thclimer]

Lots of them that look like this. They are most all maples that cracked off branchings at the crown. They are in areas we use. I'm thinking a long rope tossed up, tied and tethered to the tractor a good distance away. Then see if I can pull them off and down. This is just one, I have about seven others that look the same. I could just cut all the trees down, but I want to save them. None are near utilities or structures.
View attachment 855817

If the crowns are broken off like the tree in this picture there is no saving it. It might live for a while but the other trees would benefit more from its removal. However, its removal can be challenging.

I'd probably wait to see if the broken branches will fall out on there own before I'd attempt to cut that tree down.

If I had to cut it down I would only partially cut it leaving a substantial hinge and then pull it down with a cable using my tractor. I would not want to be at it's base when it falls and while I was cutting it I'd only be looking up for branches falling and I'd have a number of exit paths to get out of the way if needed.

In general, many people have been injured or killed cutting trees down. Its a pretty dangerous activity because of how many things just don't go as planned. Situations like this only amplify the risks involved.

 

[oosik]

I'm sure that is one reason the original homesteader chose this site. Safe from falling limbs and trees. My house is right where the homesteaders house was.

200 large pine trees. Man!! Now that is a real project. Around here - I'd put out a call for those who burn firewood. I know pine is not the best. But when it's all you have............

 

[JasperFrank]

I'm coming around, that most likely, these maples are never going to recover in the way that they broke down under the ice load. They tore apart with long vertical fractures making all these widow makers. The conifers survived much better. They just dropped certain branches with clean breaks off the trunk.

 

[BlueKnife]

I'm coming around, that most likely, these maples are never going to recover in the way that they broke down under the ice load. They tore apart with long vertical fractures making all these widow makers. The conifers survived much better. They just dropped certain branches with clean breaks off the trunk.

That is correct. Those maples may last for a while, but they'll never be strong. Red maples are kind of weed trees anyway. They're weak, but can live a long time while rotting and falling apart. You'd be better off thinning them out considerably and letting your pines fill in.