I am leery of felling (falling?) large, dead standing trees that have a few big limbs left along with the main trunk. I have never had a problem but it bugs me. If one of those limbs happened to be ready to fall, it could be that vibration from felling (saw running in the kerf) could cause it to fall? When you are cutting, you kind of need to watch what you're doing with the saw, so, if you are looking at the saw/kerf, you are not looking up! Does this concern anyone, what do you do about it? I have often wondered that if you have someone with you, you could tie a string/rope around yourself and he could pull the string, meaning "run!" if he sees something happening, lol. I was about to fell a big white oak like this not long ago, and I had a helper with me, but right before I started the saw, I decided to walk away. Not worth the risk, just said, "Nope, not this one." Curious what you guys do, if anything.
I recently cut some dead standing ash for my dad. No limbs except for at the very tops. I just proceeded as I typically would and none broke off while sawing. When I started hammering wedge, that’s when it’s time to be extra cautious. But still, none started breaking off till the crown of the tree started moving. So I’d say this would be very subjective advice. You’d have to read the level of decay on each individual tree. But for me, hammering wedge is when it gets most dangerous. This has also been the case falling all the dead chestnut oaks I’m into, and that’s been over a dozen.
Yes, the vibration of the saw could cause a limb to fall. Always remember at some point in in time, limbs can just fall with no other outside influence. But in the act of felling a tree, driving wedges typically creates more impact and issues with limps, IME. If I had a tree that I was that worried about, once I had my saw in position to cut, I would watch top of tree and take quick glances at the saw. The helper with the string is an idea, but I think would be too slow if a limb impact is going to happen. In years past, I have used a helper standing very close to be able to holler and tap with the handle of a felling axe. But this helper and I had a lot of saw time together, and very good communication and understanding of placement and movement. Usually I do not want ANYONE else in the felling zone. Walking away from a tree is always an option. I have looked at trees, studied them and read them, and something taps me on the shoulder and says "nope, not today". Walk up to the same tree the next day, read it again, set up on it and lay it down fine. And with a few the initial feeling stands, and I never put saw to them.
I saved my friends life years ago when we were cutting gypsy moth killed dead oak. He was felling, and a limb broke off one just as it started to fall, and I saw it and yelled and by some miracle he heard me over the saw noise and jumped out of the way just in time. Dead ash can be treacherous too as limbs snap off easy when felling. Be careful!!!
With the dead ash im working on i check to see if any dead limbs will catch on another tree as its falling. Making sure i have a clear escape path one she gets going over. Luckily these are in the clear of most of the smaller limbs are gone. Wear a helmet (i dont own one) and have a clear escape path are my advice.
And don't forget limbs can fly away from the falling tree's path, as in get flung in opposite directions. This can be the case with any tree, but obviously more of an issue with dead trees/limbs. And when felling a tree in the woods or when other trees/limbs etc are in the path, make sure everything up top (canopy) is clear and has stopped moving before you approach the area. I've seen many a limb fall well after the subject tree was on the ground and still, like 30 seconds or more after....
I watched a dead limb come down on a friend. He looked up just in time to throw an arm up to block. It peeled the skin off his forearm. I was pulling the tree with a bucket truck and there was vines connected to another tree. The vines pulled a dead limb off an adjacent tree. It was a bad feeling seeing a buddy go down.
The first lesson you've already learned. Being aware it could happen. After looking them over carefully first and prior to touch them with the saw, I bang them with my skidsteer bucket if anything looks sketchy. Perhaps the same can be accomplished with a truck and chain from a safe distance. In time, we all learn to look up/down when sawing as you have a good "feel" for the saw and when the tree starts to move. This is not to say you don't watch your saw too. A good spotter is never a bad idea. It sounds like you already know all this, but just looking to reinforce your "good practice."
I would say if the vibrations from your saw take the limb down, it’s your time. It could happen, but Mother Nature throws wind, snow, ice etc at the trees routinely right. We just had 30 mph winds and 1/4 inch of ice on the trees here yesterday. This summer I cut down a small beech, 12-14 inch diameter, probably 60-80 ft tall as it’s in a mature woods. Dropped perfect, messed around a few minutes to set up bucking and voila, 6 ft away a widow maker slammed the tree I cut hard. Green maple limb I never even saw get touched. Learned a quick lesson and now I let everything settle for a couple of minutes with the saw off. I guess my point is, wear a helmet, look up often and mostly be careful. If you are uncomfortable, maybe have someone else drop them as being nervous usually only makes things worse. I honestly look soMewhat up as I am dropping trees, once the saw is good and buried that is. No easy answers, but awareness is huge.
Be extra careful when messing with a dead tree or when dead trees are around other green trees that you may be cutting. I only cut dead standing on my farm to keep from wasting good wood. I dropped over 150 Spring of 2020 (Covid free time) and dropped another 60+ since Thanksgiving. You can never let your guard down and you truly need eyes in the back of your head. I lost a good friend April of 2009 to a dead limb. He was doing a favor for a neighbor and took down a dead tree. When it started falling, a limb came out and impaled him in the chest when he looked up (that's how we think it happened). No one was around and eventually someone went to check on him. They found him dead with the saw still running. Stay safe!
Dead standing trees react much differently than live ones. Be careful! Always remember what Harry said: Remember this and you will:
Well everybody has good advice there is nothing wrong with walking away from a tree that bothers you when we were land clearing you would run across many dead and unstable trees I was young and dumb and took way to many chances I had a dead limb fall on me cracked the hardhat and knocked me down I was very lucky after that close call if I thought there was a big risk to me or any of the other crew we used a machine to push tree over. When I started my tree service on many residential take downs if the tree was a risk we used a bucket or lift to remove instead of me climbing the tree I have climbed some really bad trees when a bucket was not a option but I was tied off to a different tree so if something went wrong I could swing away risky !! move . The new spider lifts available now for rent make it a lot easier to do risky trees you can remove the canopy then drop the trunk No piece of wood is worth getting hurt JB
If the tree looks that sketchy, I walk away form it. In the past, I have given the standing dead a few whacks with the blunt of a maul to send a shock wave up the trunk. Sometimes (rarely) something will fall. Yawner it is a good thing you are asking yourself these and other similar questions while learning.
There's an elm here behind my barn that died a few years ago. It's standing so straight I can't really tell what way it wants to fall, but slowly the branches are falling off. One big one is about a foot in diameter where it broke off. As much as I'd love to get that in the woodshed, I'm going to wait until nature puts that one on the ground. Too many big branches left on it and I won't risk myself for something that can wait.
I cut a lot of dead standing lodgepole up in the mountains. Most branches are not big enough to kill you but if one was to break off it could knock you out. I have never had one break off yet while I was falling it. But there was one time my wife and I were in an area of a lot of dead standing trees and we were taking a lunch break. It was a little windy that day and all of a sudden, we hear this branch hitting the ground about 20 feet away. So, you never know.
I cut quite a few standing dead, elm and ash mostly. And usually ones out in the open so they are quite branchy and sprawling. Never gave it much thought until I joined up with you folks. You all have taught me some safety, even if I might be a bit reckless at times, I at least give it a little more thought and consider more of the “what if’s”
Dead trees can be deadly. I had a friend killed by a dead tree falling on him while he was mowing on his riding lawnmower. That one takes the cake. He never knew what hit him, it just fell out of the blue. Lesson learned there is if you have a dead one anywhere people are going to be around, get it down!
Of course, the canopy configuration is important, but you could use a plumb bob, and hold it at various locations around the trunk. Wherever it hangs the furthest from the trunk, should be the side it's leaning to. The higher on the trunk, the better.
