hi all,

i've got a bunch of virginia (or slab) pine trees towering over my little house. they're about 60' tall and most of the trunks are about 8" diameter. i'd like to cut a few of the less stable ones, but since they grew up in such a dense environment, they have no branches below about 40'. my thought right now is to find some spikes to strap onto my boots so i can climb a bit more than halfway up each tree to affix a line for controlling the direction of fall. they're all way too close to the house for me to not have a way of guaranteeing that i don't make any accidental skylights.

any advice on where to find climbing spikes or suggestions on other ways to tackle this job?

-- James (james@wireboard.com), January 08, 2002

Answers

Maybe throw a weighted line up? Or rent a cherry picker?

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 08, 2002.

This dosn't sound like a job for someone who hasn't done tree work before. Suggesting anything other than getting a proffessional in to do it would be poor judgement on our part.

For people that have felled many dozen trees and are familiar with sizing them up, deciding which way they lean, and are very familiar with the kickback of the stump, as well as getting a hung-up tree down, then we could give some advise.

If the tree is not leaning the wrong way, it doesn't really take much pressure to pull them in the right direction. A 12' ladder would get you up high enough, and safer than climbing spikes. Put a tractor on the other end of a LONG cable (must be LONGER than the tree is tall, and there is _no_ room for guessing here!) firm up the cable. Cut the notch. Pull the line a little tighter. Cut the back side, be SURE to leave a hinge. Have a wedge & sledge handy, altho an 8" stump is almost too small.

If the tree is perfectly straight or leaning the right way it will already be over with the weight of the cable. Otherwise you can pound the wedge in the cut & it should go over, or you can pull with the tractor. (You can use other things than a tractor - come-along, etc. Make it strong, your house is riding on you guessing the direction & forces properly...)

That's the easy part, sounds like you will have trouble with hang-ups in other trees. That can get real 'interesting' and only personal experience & lots of thought as to what direction & what pressures & what angles will cause what problems to get it down. I would not want to practice this with my life & house at stake at the same time in your case.

Many things can go wrong. So, I'm not giving you any advise here other than get in a pro to fell them for you.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), January 08, 2002.

What Paul said. What if you cut the tree and it jumps and shoves the trunk through the side of your house? or through you or someone you love? Unless you're pretty good at felling trees, I'd call in a professional (who's bonded).

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), January 08, 2002.

I was taught how to cut trees by a man who heated with wood all of his life. He said that if you have a 30 foot tree, then you need a clear 30 foot area to drop it in. He said that if you didn't have a big enough spot to drop it on to not even try it. he cut the easy trees, and once in a great while he sold a little timber and got them to take the difficult trees at the same time. He always controlled to fall by the way he cut the trunk and by not cutting trees when there was a breeze.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), January 09, 2002.

If they are only 8 inches inn diameter, a back hoe could easily pull/ push them over. A 16 foot ladder would get you up plenty high enough for the rope to be effective. Heck, and 8 footer would do the trick- 8 inches aint a big tree! Now, when you get into one thats 4 foot in diameter- thats the time to really start thinking on how! Or, really, if you know some skinny little guy (like me) you could hire him for the day to just shimmy on up the tree, tie the rope and thats it.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), January 09, 2002.

Actually, 8" or 4', it's all the same. If there is no lean, or the tree leans the right way, it wouldn't make much difference to me. No need to go higher up with the cable. Just a bigger notch, and need to cut in farther on the back side - and need a bigger saw! :) Dad cut down some huge cottonwoods on my uncle's farm, one especially. He could cut all the way around with his 24" McCulluth, and there was several inches in the middle holding it. Pulled over with a tractor (150' of cable), and in the ragged edge was a railroad spike, woulda hit it with a longer saw or narrower tree! Dad had the local sawmill make lumber out of it, but it was too big for their blades, so dad had to slice it in half with the chainsaw lengthwise. Spiked on a 2x4 on each side & used it for a straightedge, & cut it freehand. Still have some of that lumber around, with the chainsaw cuts on one edge... But I digress, sorry.

Where I live there are all hardwoods. This is softwoods, which are much taller & straighter than I am used to. Don't think that changes the basic operation tho. I would be very worried about them hanging up on other trees tho.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), January 09, 2002.