Massive white oak down from the Noreaster. Uprooted. Has to be 38-40 dbh. Wide canaopy at least 120 ft tall. It is layin about 15 degrees off the ground level. Tricky for the non-professional like myself. I have made my way through a pile of 5 Ash/Hickory/Oak from storm damage. All tangled together. No problems. This one is a bit concerning. Plan is to walk the trunck and try and loose the suspended limbs as well as the top. There are 5-6 large limbs holding up the main trunk from midway down. Today will be cleaning out all the little stuff so I can see the situation better. Pics to follow
Watch out for that root ball standing the trunk back up, as you buck the trunk. If you cut any decent sized branches, you could use them to wedge against the root ball to keep it from falling back into the hole. You also might want to lay some branches perpendicular under any larger branches you would cut from the main trunk, if you can't buck them first. Keeps them off the ground for further cutting. Have fun and stay safe. Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk
Getting rid of the branches that are not supporting any weight to clear around the tree is exactly how I do it. Getting a clear picture of what you have to work with is a great way to do it.
The above posters have great comments with some VIP safety tips. There can be a lot of wood/weight under tension. Hopefully you have a helper with that monster for safety reasons. Also looking forward to the pics.
Here she is. Some reference to size is where the small dogwood on the front left has a limb from the oak against it and in front is about 5 ft off the ground. That dogwood was about 9 inches in diamter at that location. I got much of the lower limbs that were suspended off today. She is partially entwined in the tree in the back of the pic. Not to the extent it should affect the felling of the top though. This has to be a 7 or 8 cord tree at least. And this was a great timed find for me. Seeing dead red here! Standing dead elm dropped too. I am flat out of good wood right now so this is a great find. Straight to the stove with this stuff.
Looks like a project indeed, but one you can do with caution and patients. Those trees will often pop right back up by having the root ball go back into the hole once the top is taken off. One guy lost his grandson under the root ball that way just a few years ago. Gotta get the booby traps taken care of first.
Work on it slowly and carefully watching your cut for uncalculated leverages. I've propped trunks up and used a bottle jack or two to take weight off and to determine weight for cheap insurance.
Like the rest of the family said; be careful and enjoy the project. Trees with a big rootball can return to a near upright position as weight is removed from the top, watch for it and be ready. Most important, PICTURES OF THE PROCESS OR IT'S JUST A DREAM!
Huge amount of stored energy in the bent over stump and trapped bent branches. Great advice from posts above. I am not a pro by any means but have done several of these. Don't know your comfort level either. My advice but only if you are comfortable doing it. Stabilize the stump so it can't fall back and stand up. Cut some thick branches and pound them in on a diagonal bracing the stump.the then cut more rounds and throw them in the hole filling it and further reinforcing the diagonals. You should have a second saw in case the main one gets pinched. Cut some of the easy branches as you walk around the tree and drag away if possible. Throw some 4' branches under trunk to keep it off the ground. I don't like holding the saw overhead unless no other choice. If you are able to you might want to climb up on the tree and walk it trimming and dropping branches but only if the stump is rock solid. Then top it above branches holding it up. looks like there are 4-6 of them holding it up Pick the 2 or 3 strongest to hold up trunk and do them last The other branches holding it up are under a lot of tension. If you can make some relief cuts part way thru to ease the tension it would help before trying to cut all the way Stop take plenty of breaks clearing branches from under tree. Then if you can cut the supporting branches from one side so nothing but trunk and branch under and opposite side are stabilizing tree are left. Then I'd cut at bottom and let tree roll to the side away from supporting branches. Landing on logs placed under tree. Lot of work and danger here. If I've said anything stupid here you guys please correct me. Mike
Sounds like my approach but for the bracing of the root ball. No sure I have any issue with the root ball falling back in. I have started clearing lower limbs. Pulling everything away from the tree for safety. I hate the thought of walking the trunk and cutting big limbs, like 15 inchers. First limbs to go would be around 18-20 ft off the ground. Worried about what that amount of weight released from the main trunk may do. That would be a wild ride if she suddenly shifted and rolled.
Nothing said on this site is stupid. We are all here to learn and help each other out. I do a lot of learning from the pro's.
Yeah I would not be on that trunk while still attached to root ball. Period, mike did say rock solid. I understand where he coming from, but I would let it stand up First. Then cut it down.
I don't think the root ball will stand until I get to the last 25 feet or so. By then I will cut her loose from the stump. It is not a big root ball. I have seen root balls in excess of 12 ft. They had pull power...
I have actually done it this way a couple of times. Stump stability is key one little bit of movement or lift and off. Have you ever watched the YouTube videos of bungled tree felling. This tree could be a Wiley coyote catapult if done poorly
mywaynow go with your gut reaction looking at tree. Looking at a picture on internet strips scale and details. I wouldn't do anything with saw 18-20 ft off ground. Sorry didn't see that scale in your pic. Be safe
Those usually are not as bad as most people think they are. Just take it one step at a time and be careful. It can be a pleasure cutting them. Don't hurry on these though. That dead elm is a sweet find!
That elm is at 18%. Not too bad and better than anything else I have. Going to have run a brush through the pipe this spring. Stove is breathing fine but it has been a few years since the last cleaning. Cleaned every other year and never got more than a couple courts of cat litter from the pipe so I haven't worried about it. The tail end of this season has changed my attitude.
