# Ever Have A Tree "Pee" On You? Stink Trees?



## StihlRockin' (Feb 16, 2008)

LOL! I was removing a large Cottonwood in one of the suburbs of Minneapolis back in the day and as my saw sunk in deeper, the dang thing started to gush water all over me, my waist and legs. Usually you'd think the first instinct would be to run or jump back, but I was so shocked, I just stood there and watched. LOL! Since then I have had it happen a few more times, but nothing like that tree on that day. I know I've also seen it happen with Elm trees, but not to the same extent.

Do you have trees that are full of water like that where when you make a cut, it starts to drain? 

How about stinky trees? Do you have one in your region that just stinks when you go to cut them? I'd have to say it's our Elm trees that smell bad; especially when you go to lift them, they're full of water and it gets on your clothes... lingering odor for the rest of the day. I know when I go to grinding, I don't like the smell of Box Elder trees.

Trees that pee or stink... Got pee? LOL!

*Stihl*Rockin'


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## Dadatwins (Feb 16, 2008)

Old maple trees will usually hold a nice pool of slop in them. Some willow trees have it also. Anything with a cavity that will allow rain water to fill up will usually make for a messy day on the climber.


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## Grace Tree (Feb 16, 2008)

We took down an 70ft. maple last fall that was in a woodlot but within striking distance of a house. Good wood on the face cut but as soon as I started the back cut it sprayed water all over my legs. I was glad to have an insurance line in top and very, very happy to be able to crank it over in the right direction. It had a 3 ft. cavity on the backside that must have been completely full of stinky water. I was soaked from the knees down but happy to have it on the ground.
Phil


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## TDunk (Feb 16, 2008)

I've had a couple cherry trees take a wiz on me before. I did the same thing as Stihl Rockin', it took me a second or two to figure out what was going on, by then it was to late and my chaps/pants were soaked.


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## senechal (Feb 16, 2008)

Poplars typically behave like that. Sometimes it gets pretty nasty.


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## mantis (Feb 16, 2008)

Piss Elm name says it all...smells like piss:greenchainsaw:


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## smokechase II (Feb 16, 2008)

*West Coast pee*

White Fir, (aka Grand Fir - no one needs to start a species ident discussion - relax).

Out here White Fir can dump a little to a lot of water on you and it has the fragrance of Dairy Cattle urine.

Hence its colloquial name of Piss Fir.


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## LarryTheCableGuy (Feb 16, 2008)

This thread that Ekka started has a video of a gusher - pretty impressive, as are pretty much all of his videos.


.


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## Justice (Feb 16, 2008)

I have had some red oaks pee. Some out of the base, but several out of limbs. Its funny when you cut off a limb and it starts "peeing" out, all the ground guys feel is spray,and see you hanging there with a stream of "water" coming down... water that smells...lol You can only imagine the comments...lol


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## treeman82 (Feb 16, 2008)

The clearest memory I have of a willow is from about 10 years ago. I cut out this big lead from the tree and I started smelling something that resembled draft horse piss. I started looking around, and there was a BIG stream of sap spraying down to the ground from where my cut was.


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## RedlineIt (Feb 17, 2008)

"Upon what meat do these Gods feed, that they have grown so strong?"

Arborist's corollary: "What the focks this tree been drinking!?"

Did a removal of a Lombardy that had grown on a septic field. Pee-yoo! Every cut I made was rank enough, but when the crew fired up the chipper... I was told we had neighbors asking if we'd hit a gas line,... how long is it going to stink like this,...Honey, let's go visit your mother.

When I CAN identify a tree as a "tanker", I will come down a ways and stand on my spurs to one side of a bore cut with my 200T and run the bore cut up untill there is seepage or I hear/see the goo-water splashing at the top of the "tank". Pull the saw out and Look Out Below!

Sometimes requires a second insertion if leaves and gunk jam my drain-hole.

What a great job!


RedlineIt


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## ozarktreeman (Feb 17, 2008)

yea,i cut into big dead redoak that spit red juice all over me ,stood up and guy,s thought that i cut my leg off.worst was a dead cottonwood.had wash clothes 3 times to get that smell out.


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## Sprig (Feb 17, 2008)

My experience was with a variety of Am willow, it had been knocked down during the winter and left a 24"diam and about 8' high. My first face cut, hm, spewing water and mushy oatmeal sawdust, what a mess! That wood took nearly two years to dry at the bottom of my woodpile, oh the joy when I started burning it, made everything smell like cat spray ICK! Burned pretty good though for what it was, most went on bonfires though 



Serge


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## John Paul Sanborn (Feb 18, 2008)

I call them gushers, it is especially bad when it is cold out 

Seems to me that the species that compartmentalize with a strong wall 4, but tend to hollow out inside it e.g., red oak, are most likely to have cavity water. Also the seem to be under included crotches more often then not.


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## (WLL) (Feb 18, 2008)

i hate it when that:censored: happens


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## hammerlogging (Feb 18, 2008)

Among the hundreds, as a full time cutter, I've run across gushers several times- probably 20+ that were big time gushers. Some I swear upwards of 50 gallons. SOme take so long to drain (lest spewing the wet sawdust and water on your legs more than the initial surprise) you have to go on to the next tree to let it finish draining. I've even had it where it stopped, than went and bored the other side and again another 20 gallons! Damn. But I'll tell you what, the wildest ones to me are the ones with built up pressure- gas instead of water. Literally blow, and hard. Really surprising, first time I thought it was a big rattler in my ear, whatever, scared the crap out of me, the skidder driver saw me jump back, let go of the saw and all. Once I saw the gas as vapor. Its a cool treat now.

Some mountain locals call scarlet oak "piss oak" cause they say it smells like cat pee. I've not had a problem, with it myself.


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## John Paul Sanborn (Feb 19, 2008)

Another odd one I saw was a hard maple street tree that had a cavity all the way down past the roots. A sewer lateral went under it and when the did the smoke test, the smoke came out of the included crotch 30 ft up.


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## masiman (Feb 19, 2008)

I was taking down a neighbors dead tulip poplar (safetied into adjacent oak, lanyard around the poplar). A flat stream across the back cut came out and soaked me. If I had been standing I would have paused befuddled like the others. In this case I was strapped and trapped so I had to let it drain on me. Thankfully, it was warm out and the water was slightly cool. It stunk like old rotting compost. Wood peckers and other things had created the giant straw. Must have been about 5-10 gallons that came out of that 10 foot section.

The stuff disintegrated my underwear after a few days.


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## Sprig (Feb 19, 2008)

masiman said:


> I was taking down a neighbors dead tulip poplar (safetied into adjacent oak, lanyard around the poplar). A flat stream across the back cut came out and soaked me. If I had been standing I would have paused befuddled like the others. In this case I was strapped and trapped so I had to let it drain on me. Thankfully, it was warm out and the water was slightly cool. It stunk like old rotting compost. Wood peckers and other things had created the giant straw. Must have been about 5-10 gallons that came out of that 10 foot section.
> 
> *The stuff disintegrated my underwear after a few days.*



Must be nice not havin' ta change 'em daily, kinda funky   Like a 'dog shower', ya know, where da dog licks alla da sweat off    



Serge


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## Fuzly (Feb 22, 2008)

LOL! That's funny right there


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## masiman (Feb 23, 2008)

Sprig said:


> Must be nice not havin' ta change 'em daily, kinda funky   Like a 'dog shower', ya know, where da dog licks alla da sweat off
> 
> 
> 
> Serge



LOL, I guess I deserved that .


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## frodo (Feb 23, 2008)

i was out with an old logger one day. this guy has been logging for 40+ years,has owned saw mills in the past but now does small tracts of timber, nothing to involved. he has all the top of the line equipment. the forty years of logging have taken there toll on him, he walks with a noticable limp, you can hardly understand a word he says because of a small stroke he suffered a few years back. hes missing a few teeth and most of the time has a three day old shave on. anyway, he goes to bore into this old red oak, sinks a 28in bar in about 1/2 the way in and out shoots a solid streem of water like a garden hose covering his waist and knees. he lets go of the running saw hanging half way out of the tree looks back at me with a half smile and says out of the side of his mouth, in his old grumbly voice," its peein on me". he turns back grabs the saw and continues his bore cut with water shooting all down the front of his pants. i dont think i will ever forget that.


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## Sprig (Feb 23, 2008)

masiman said:


> LOL, I guess I deserved that .



All in good fun Masiman 

:jester:



Serge


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