Any advise for tornado cleanup?

[SDB777]

Local person that had been part of a good size tornado has some trees that need cleaned up. And I'm in need of some logs to mill for lumber/beams....free work for free logs(you get the idea)

*I am not a professional Arbortist(that's out of the way)
*I am not insured/nor claim to be(do I need to write something up?)

-No powerlines, buildings, or city utilities are anywhere near where the trees that are damaged are located.
-This this rural property and no trees can be felled that are not leaning or 'rootballed'.



Thanks
Scott B

 

[isaacvent]

Local person that had been part of a good size tornado has some trees that need cleaned up. And I'm in need of some logs to mill for lumber/beams....free work for free logs(you get the idea)

*I am not a professional Arbortist(that's out of the way)
*I am not insured/nor claim to be(do I need to write something up?)

-No powerlines, buildings, or city utilities are anywhere near where the trees that are damaged are located.
-This this rural property and no trees can be felled that are not leaning or 'rootballed'.



Thanks
Scott B

Leaning trees are dangerous. Especially when they are hung in another tree at the top. There are some yhou tube videos that demonstrate the options to remove them. Just be sure to have an escape route cleared and keep in mind that every tree is different, they may have a lot of pressure built up that you need keep in mind as you cut. When the tree is up rooted its not different. Think about the pressure that there may be and remember the root ball may want to stand back up when you cut the rest of the tree off. Good luck.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

semi chisel is your friend. Storm trees often have lots of debris embedded.


often tornado trees won't have any usable length in them for lumber, so be prepared to make firewood if need be, so you get something out of it at least.

as mentioned above, pay very close attention to how the tree acts as you're cutting it. There is no "normal" in storm trees, other than the fact that they all can act differently and bite you in the rear if you don't respect them and pay attention.

wear good safety equip. I've even got steel shanks to turn nails (happened 2x before). Just because you're in the open doesn't mean the storm didn't carry tetanus debris to your location.

get your tetanus shot if your not up to date.

 

[SDB777]

Leaners....had a few of those. And have a pretty good understanding about the pinching aspect of 'em(and a big pile of wedges)...
Rootballed....it'll be a learning experience that's for sure. Any way to keep the rootball from wanting to lay back into the hole during the cut(other then heavy equipment)?
Semi-chisel....hadn't thought of that, but it would only seems reasonable that crap/stuff would be embedded in 'em.
Shot record shows I'm good on everything! And I do have steel shank in the bottom of my boots(just hate wearing those heavy dang things-but I guess it's better then a nail in the foot).

Could only wish I had a wood burner in the house, but the one-that-must-be-obeyed refuses to even consider it......so the firewood isn't necessary. But if it's looking like that'll be all I can recover from it, how long is a good lenght to leave for others to come get?

Anything else?




Scott B

 

[StubornDutchman]

I've spent several hours watching the faller working on the trees we lost due to winds last spring. One thing he does on the larger trees that are hung up solid in adjacent trees, is to cut downward as far as he can until the bar starts to bind. Then he kind of plunge cuts both sides. Finally he cuts upwards from the bottom. The plunge cuts allow the upwards cut to go much faster, minimizing the time he is in the danger zone. I think it's kind of like a sideways hinge to help control the tree kickback when the root ball sets back up. He also uses his longest bar to keep himself as far away as possible.

Another thing we talked about was making multiple partial cuts and observing how tension causes the trunk to react. He also spends a lot of time clearing the area around him so he has plenty of escape room. Watch out for bound up saplings! Worse than getting hit side the head with a baseball bat. Since they don't want to damage the timber, they sometimes chain the trunk to minimize splitting and prevent barber chairs.

 

[SDB777]

Was hoping someone could jump in with some of the 'legal things' that I'd need to know...but all is good.



Thanks guys! I'm going to look the place over today, I'll get some photo's and do some serious thinking before putting saw to trees!!








Scott B

 

[rwoods]

Get a waiver and release of liability signed. Also specify what you are going to do and not going to do. Logs aren't worth a complete cleanup; if you are doing it primarily to help that is different.

I love root balls. You never know for sure what they will do. Study the tree carefully. I cut firewood mostly so you need to adjust accordingly but I usually cut the top first to relieve the various competing tensions. I cut the stem as long as possible which is usually about where it is first almost touches the ground. Then I go for the root ball. I typically notch both the top and bottom to lessen the chance of a pinch. You need to give it your undivided attention and be ready to move even if you have to leave the saw. As always remember to stay on the uphill side if at all possible, and never stand behind your saw as top pinches happen a lot. Sometimes you will need to do plunge cuts so you need to be familar with this technique. As to propping up the root ball, you usually don't know which way it is going to fall until you start cutting - most want to stand up but not all do. Take your time and be careful. And take a second saw as you may need it to cut out your primary saw. Heavy equipment, ropes and chains are always nice and can come in handy but are not always necessary. Ron

 

[fearofpavement]

A root ball, unless the tree is horizontal, will almost always stand back up. This can be quite violent. I usually cut the tree as far away from the root ball as possible and when the weight comes off, the tree trunk stands back up and then I fell it. (think catapult when cutting around these). For the most part, if you are thinking of wood for milling, tornado damaged trees are probably not the best source. Good firewood though.

 

[rwoods]

A root ball, unless the tree is horizontal, will almost always stand back up. This can be quite violent. I usually cut the tree as far away from the root ball as possible and when the weight comes off, the tree trunk stands back up and then I fell it. (think catapult when cutting around these). For the most part, if you are thinking of wood for milling, tornado damaged trees are probably not the best source. Good firewood though.

I may be going about it wrong but this is the very reason I cut just enough to stablize the top then I cut close to the rootball. I also dislike falling an unstable limbless stem. I agree 100% that when you're dealing with a rootball you are dealing with a loaded gun. Ron

 

[lfnh]

...
Anything else?




Scott B

A cell phone known to work from the site.
Bring someone with you, not for working but for watching out.

Windthrown sites are bfn, even for experienced.

I'd rather count slugs.