Next time you cut trees cut them higher than you normally would to leave a few tall stumps. These are your practice bore cuts. You can get 2 or 3 on each stump. Just be sure to use one smooth movement without stopping. Once you get over the the "novice cringe" it's actually easy... and quite handy. Some folks bore cut every tree they fell. Its a great cut for trees with a heavy lean. Practice on tall stumps to gain skill and confidence and never over estimate your ability. Even a small mistake on a small tree can kill you.
Here is a story, one year a storm snap the top off of a poplar similar in size as this one is at the top; not too far from this one; it threw it away from the tree and took me a few minutes to determine which tree it came from. If I am lucky, a storm will snap this one as well. I mainly want to remove the shade it throws on the garden.
I guess I am not smart enough to worry ... I would just drop it the way it is leaning with traditional notch and back cut.
Kimberly, if you are not confident you can drop it safely, walk away. There is no reason to get hurt trying to prove you have learned a bore cut. I find them pretty easy on a tree that size but I have practiced them on almost everything I have cut.
Had a buddy at work tell me all about how he was going to use his climbing treestand to go up a good sized oak and cut out the ash that had fallen into it. I don't think he took my admonishments seriously until I looked at the other guy in the booth with us and said "I get his truck!"
Good shout on the practise stumps Ralphie Boy. Bore cut looks like the way to go for this (assuming the diameter is large enough), no need for a non safety chain though, just remember to run the saw at max rev's and anticipate the kick back. As others have said if you're not comfortable maybe leave it, do you have any experienced cutting friends who could drop it for you?
Come along to the left, leave it kinda loose. Cut a small notch and I mean small. Put some tension on the come along. Get sharp chain on saw, cut a back cut while standing back in case it barber chairs. It does not look to crazy from the picture, but the center of mass appears to be left of the stump. Come along will keep it true, but again it may barber chair.
The barber chair occurred to me on the drive in this morning. Good call. I never thought of arresting it with a chain. New tool in my crib! Thanks
In that case, I call dibs on the Madison stove. (Just curious if it is all that difficult to learn and operate)
Find someone with a lot of experience felling trees and ask them to do it for you. Sent from my XT1080
I'm surprised that tree got that tall without the wind breaking it at that damaged section. Really doesn't look that big or heavy. Sometimes it's easier to cut them whichever way it is leaning and then deal with the hang up pulling the bottom out. Or put a rope on it and force it where you want it with a helper.
Looks like this tree knows where it wants to go. Left from the first pics and slightly up slope from the latest pics. Basod makes an excellent point with the Barber Chair. Don't get behind that at all on the back cut. Send pics of the fall. Interested to see what it does with the low dog leg holding up a vertical piece.
Kimberly I would just put a rope as high as you can get and hook it to the tractor(you have an 8N IIRC?) make a steep notch towards the direction you took the above 1st picture then taught the pull rope - don't bend the tree, make 2-3" of backcut and then pull it over with the tractor.
