Morning guys, I'm sitting here having coffee before I go for a load of wood, checking the forecast, and I thought I might ask, how windy is too windy for you personally while felling trees? I find sometimes it helps, sometimes it hinders, but the danger factor usually increases. Looking at 20-30 mph potentially as it warms up so hopefully I can scramble out there and make 4 sticks hit the ground with no drama. There are a few heavy leaners and a few tree snags (tree on tree) so I turn into a nervous Nelly with wind. Probably look for safer trees if I feel it's dodgy. What say you?
Depends on direction, and if it's consistent or not, and what trees I'm cutting. I'll cut in a heavy wind if the direction is consistent and in the direction I need the tree(s) to fall. I hate cutting in shifting winds that are much more than a breeze, as I've learned I never can time the gusts in a proper direction.
If it's in a yard, I don't mess with much wind at all. If I'm in the woods, it rarely gets windy enough around here for me to care.
If the tops are swaying I'm not sawing. I don't need any help from winds to screw up a fell, I can manage that on my own.
I don't trust gusts, like Woodtroll mentioned consistent is one thing, unexpected gusts are another. I don't know if it's gusty up where you are though.
I get run out of my wood yard in the woods some days. I just can't let a widowmaker get me. It's too ironic... me there, dismembering trees... then getting taken out by one.
In the end, much ado about nothing, as the wind never did get much more than 8-10 mph. I was dragging my tail from the last 3 loads though, so I knocked down 3 easy trees and a bunch of laying on the ground stuff.
Depends on a bunch of things for me to decide. I tend to lean towards sketchy though. Leaves present or not and physical condition of the tree mean a lot as does location. Not risking someone's property. . Bore cut to reduce the possibility of barber chairing.
As others have said, it depends. We had 40 mph gusts the last 2 days, so not tree work for me. Today, we had 25 mph winds bit it was actually working in my favor and pushing a leader away from buildings, so I cut. That said, our trees out here are nothing like the west coast mosters I see others cut.
If I'm feeling a bit more spry, I probably take more chances with the wind if it's as you say working in my favor. A few years back there was a spot with some decent trees, and a stand that wasn't touched at all...because they were leaning toward a 20 foot drop into an old creek. If I recall, I managed to get a few on a very windy day. Was dicey though...
We won't even walk the property lines when it is windy much less cut down trees. Too risky. I was bonked on the head by a falling branch and lost part of a tooth. Sure don't need to increase risks!!!
Being in Dakotah Territory wind is just a given. I try to stay under 20 mph or not in gusty stuff. I'd like to think I've learned my lessons from bad falls and sketchy situations in the middle of a cut because of wind and gusts so I don't push my luck much.
Nothing like watching a tree start to go, and then sit back on the wedge, and then the wind lets up and away it goes. Pucker factor
