Before I go after the Sugar up top, I plan on getting some smaller Sugar and this big Cherry. I'll use the pole saw to take down the Maples, that should make the Cherry drop. Some of the smaller stuff away from the Cherry looks like Sugar.
I'm starting to think you have UFO's and aliens that continually knock down more trees for you.....you keep trying to tell us it's mother nature.
Why are you so blesses with those half fallen trees that look like big rat traps! Be careful, that tree looks like it still has some rolling to do. How many years of wood do you have hoarded?
Last May the big wind event kicked the crap out of that hill, we still have 5 or 6 nice size Cherry that are down just south of this one, I'll be starting on those in the spring of 2015.
I realize I'm not there so can't see the whole picture but can say that I believe I'd cut the cherry first. But best be careful.
In picture 9727 I cut the Maple first with the pole saw, then I cut one side of the Cherry with the pole saw, 1,2 & 3. Picture 9728 and 29 were done with the pole saw too, picture 9730 was done with the 660. I'll be heading back tomorrow with a sledgehammer to knock the rounds out in picture 9730, it's not what I had planned but it should workout just fine.
Those pieces in 9729 almost look too long or are you going to make 2 out of each ? Those kind take some time to fool with, but if it was easy everyone would do it.
We'll make two from those, I was just cutting it with the pole saw..... never thought about the length.
With the Cherry we already have cut along with this, I'm hoping we have two cord or more. We also have some nice Sugar Maple down in this same area, it's not huge but will still give us some nice fires. August looks like it will be a wet one for us in the Northeast so I'm not sure how much will get done.
It's hard for me to tell from the pictures, but that cherry looks like a little over a cord to me.... All straight, manageable, easy to split gravy too... and its cherry....
I knocked those two rounds out by the base of the tree tonight with a few good whacks with the sledgehammer, after that I zipped off a few rounds, about 16. I'll take tomorrow off an go back at it on Saturday if the weather permits. I'll get the small Maple in picture 9734 so the area is clean of tripping hazards, picture 9737 is a small Maple just up the hill that I never saw the other night. So far the top of the Cherry is staying put, I don't expect that to last but if it does, that's fine with me. I'll try some winching on Saturday with the smaller Cherry first, I'm hoping I can pull that out.