Or you're just going to push the problem downstream blowing it up. and the water could possibly still back up and pool around your space. Not that it wouldn't be fun to watch it go boom.
Yeah that's the only problem with breaking up a log jam...it just moves to a new spot to get hung up...and may cause even more trouble in that spot. I just had to remove a bunch of EAB ash log jams from the downstream creek at work last year...shouldn't have really been on us, but fortunately we owned property on at a least one side of about 90% of the problem areas. There is still plenty of problems on downstream, but we really don't have easy access to it, and seeing as we already cleared almost a mile of creek, and there is about 8' of fall in that length, the problem is greatly lessened. I pulled out most of the problems logs...there were a few small ones that got away from me as the tidal wave let loose, but only so much one guy and a backhoe can do.
As much as I agree with avoiding interacting with local or any beaurocrats, this being water supply downstream might be something that they would take on in a proactive measured and planned manner over an emergency, open up the govt purses emergency reaction. Of course this would take "common sense". Generally not present in these organizations.
Yep, the neighbor up the creek cut a bunch of trees along the creek. Guess where they are at. This log jam is on the north side of my property, there's a pretty big bend a few hundred yards down the creek that we've had issue with in the past with log jams. Luckily, the neighbor was able to get a extenda-hoe in there to get it removed. It was taking their creek bank out pretty bad.
I guess I'd favor cutting as many pieces off from non dangerous positions, esp. while the creek is low on water (if there is such a time). If there are tree tops stuck on the trees on the bank, then freeing up those, and then whatever else can be reached. Smaller pieces shouldn't cause too much ruckus downstream, and if the big tree is still attached to the ground (or is behind another upright tree) maybe it (or they) will just swing downstream in the next floodstage? Or, if the water is not moving too fast and deep, work across the top cutting everything as you go? A suitable application of high explosives sounds much more intriguing though!!! Sca
But they do...the big pieces catch medium pieces, and the medium pieces catch small pieces, then that catches everything, which raises the water level to the point the creek re-routes itself. With all the EAB ash, and Boxelder that commonly grow along creeks in this area, there is no shortage of logs/limbs in the water to catch stuff/cause problems
Yesh...the minimal cutting over moving water I did, I cut stuff small enough to not cause issues downstream. I kinda recall some larger bits went down ok or I caught them downstream later. Not nearly the scale here though. Our creek was maybe 15' across and generally not more than a foot or two deep.
This was the plan last Sunday, I did cut a few pieces while being in the creek itself. Was walking on the big log trying to cut other stuff but the way it's jammed together there's no real good place to stand, especially with a chainsaw in your hand. I'll probably try and cut as much as I can from the bank this weekend before things go kaboom. I think the big tree that fell across is an oak too. There's a bunch of Osage orange ( from the neighbor up the creek ) in there too. There's probably 7 - 10 cord of firewood there if you could get that big tree out. In front of the tress the deepest spot is probably 3 - 4' deep right now. There are pools that are even deeper than that. With the weird winter we've been having the creek is pretty low. It was very low in October when we didn't have rain for a month or so. I should of messed with it then. Normally it's probably 30' wide, during the spring time it can easily get > 100' wide. During the spring it probably floods 10 - 12 acres of my property ( all woods though ) back there.
Sure would be nice to be able to get a tractor with a logging winch in there. There's a lot of nice wood in that mess.
I know, the big tree you see in the picture is oak, so is the tree in the water in front. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself after burning half rotten ash for all of these years.
Thanks. The other reason I want to get this dam cleared out before that rainy season is to possibly stop this very large sycamore from getting washed out. I’ll gladly let all of that wood wash down the creek to save this tree. Those trees are dead, this one is alive. Not too many of these giants exist anymore. It’s easily 5 - 6’ across.
Put 7lbs in the hole that’s in the picture. Put 10lbs back inside the dam. No major progress was made. The first one made a heck of a boom. I’ll post the links to the videos later. Looks like it’s going to be plan b. Cut my way back there and pull it out with my tractor.
https://youtube.com/shorts/p5dBh-4zg0s?feature=share https://youtube.com/shorts/kfYP0BU1F0o?feature=share
