I went out and cut a few cord of wood today until everything started to breakdown on me. But even with what little bit of wood I did cut, I felt compelled to say that it is kind of dangerous. With the mind-numbing cold, the wood is just so brittle. When you are felling a tree, the tree starts to go over from the back cut, then "pop", it just snaps off the hinge, no bending of those fibers like a person would normally expect. I typically use the open face notch, so I am used to control all the way to the ground before it breaks loose of the stump; not at these temperatures! The first few trees really caught me by surprise. And when they do come down, the widow-makers are multiplied by ten. With such brittle temperatures, they just rain limbs down on their way to the ground. This means any limbing you do have to do means just touching anything under tension means it snaps before being cut completely through. Again all this can really surprise you if you are not ready for it. So just a heads up if you are headed out in the woods.
Thanks for the heads-up, LT. I have a number of standing oaks identified at my SIL's, that I was planning to take down over the next few weeks, weather permitting. About 6in across up to 18in. I'll be sure to be extra careful when I gets around to it.
I'd like to add not only the trees are brittle at these temps. Let's all be a little more careful with our saws and equipment especially plastic parts and thick hydraulic fluid....
Good info. Thanks for posting it up for folks to learn from. I’ve cut in the cold before, and as you say, it is a different ball game. I try not to go out and cut if it’s below 15 degrees or so anymore. I haven’t had time to get out to cut this winter yet. And it looks like this cold is going to stay around a while.
Good info. I do not fall trees during winter and never have so I really have no idea of what to expect. During winter I usually buck and split.
Those dead branches falling are dangerous at any time but with these bitter cold temperatures I'm sure they are even more brittle and susceptible to coming down.
I went out the other day in the 7 f weather to cut up a log by my wood pile. I started the saw and realized I didn't put my chaps on...How did I forget them?...Obviously I wan't thinking at all...I put the saw away and came inside to stay warm and live to cut that log another day. Can't believe I forgot to put the chaps on before I attempted to cut...disturbing to me...I know all too well that crap can happen in a second and stay with you for a lifetime.
Good thread. I was out walking down trees to drop today and for whatever reason had not considered the winter challenges. I think I was just amped up to be out in the woods eying up the 2020 wood.
Plus, you never know when the fall will happen. Last week I had a truck deliver my generator. It was a large panel truck. The next day, when I drove back home from shopping, there was a good size limb lying on the ground under the tree, about 20 ft long and about 6-7 inches thick. I noticed that the bark was torn off from the underside. Looked like something had hit it. I am thinking the truck hit the limb, but the limb waited until the next AM to fall. Mind you we have been having sub zero temps here for several days. Whatever combination of dynamic were in place to cause this to wait to fall, I just don't know, but it did. Glad no one was under the limb at the time. It was on the entrance to my driveway.
I cut in winter pretty much exclusively. I was out hauling and did splitting at 8° on Thursday. Had it not been so cold, 3° for a high today, I probably would have cut today. I too have noticed that when it gets really cold, trees just snap vs holding on a little more before falling, tension popping on limbs, etc.
I like felling in snow as it keeps the trees up out of the dirt. LT is right about the cold though. Anything sustained below about 20F is usually very brittle. There's always some moisture in trees, & when frozen it makes a whole different action/reaction to gravity & kinetic energy. All stuff to think about before taking action, it can be done safely, just requires good judgement. Thanks LodgedTree .
Great heads-up, thanks. I wonder how birch shakes out in this. Most trees get stiffer as the temps drop, theoretically to deal with snow load on branches. Birch gets more supple, kind of an Akido type approach to the snow load.... Or so I've been told. Wonder if there's a temp that the birches freeze up and suddenly go from noodle to glass? Anyone had the opportunity to hear sap popping in this cold snap? I got to hear it one night it went from seasonally mild daytime to -9 at night. Sounded just like a .22.
I cut some small cedars yesterday and was surprised they snapped on me. I wouldn't have expected the big stuff you cut to do the same
Anything with water in it's gonna freeze pretty stiff in current sustained temps, Ice just ain't flexible. Birch tend to be a more supple wood due to less cellular density, but I'm bettin a hinge in a good size Birch will snap right off too. Top limbs might be a bit less brittle, but I'd still wear a hard hat. Yes I have heard the pops from tree sap & a few other things, bit weird till you realize what it is. .22 round going off is a very good description.
