Big doug fir leaner needs to come down

[bigjayfromwa]

*****i just posted this on the arborist thread too. Just dont know if there are many arborists that deal with the big stuff*****

Just curious if there is any seasoned old growth fallers around here. I am going to do a job up here in the Pacific Northwest that involves a couple of old growth trees. The question is this is the first time i am doing one that is leaning towards the house. (most of them were just standard drops). It is too big to use a rope at the top to pull on it and there is no way in hell i could chunk it out. Maybe springboard it about 100ft up?
Its a doug fir approx 12ft at the base. I have heard about guys jacking a tree right off the stump and it still barberchairing on them.

Just curious if anyone out here had a good idea.
Cutting it is no problem....(pumped husky 3120 with 72in bar)
Thanks

 

[John Ellison]

What do you mean by " it is too big to use a rope at the top to pull on it" ?
Have you ever fell anything anywhere near that size? A 12' tree would intimidate me if it was the first time I ever fell any tree that was leaning towards a house.( It would still intimidate me) It might be the wrong tree to learn on.

 

[BostonBull]

Pictures please! It is near impossible to diagnose without them

 

[clearance]

Too big to use a rope? How about a 1" steel cable hooked to a big hoe?

 

[slowp]

I'm sorry, I only used to cruise old growth timber. But I could tell you if it had defect or cull logs.

 

[Treefidget]

IF the tree is solid you can cut out a block on the center of the back cut and put in a hydraulic jack. Doug Fir has got great holding wood if its thick enough.
Not too sound cocky but I have never seen a tree too big for a rope or a cable like 'clearance' said.
Just for peace of mind if nothing else.
hope that helps.

 

[ASD]

Too big to use a rope? How about a 1" steel cable hooked to a big hoe?

I WOULD DO THIS OR A CRAIN

 

[GASoline71]

You talkin' 12' around the base of the tree? or 12' across...

Big difference...

I agree that this might not be a good tree to learn on. If you aren't licensed and bonded here in the state of WA... you can get your a$$ handed to you if that tree falls on the house.

Silvey's are very expensive... and you can't just go rent one. Don't even think about using an automotive bottle jack to do it.

Springboards at 100' up? are you nuts?

Like clearance said... you might have to set a 1" line in it and attach it to a shovel or something.

I think you should skip this job if the tree is as big as you say it is.

my .02:taped:

Gary

 

[IchWarriorMkII]

You talkin' 12' around the base of the tree? or 12' across...

Big difference...

I agree that this might not be a good tree to learn on. If you aren't licensed and bonded here in the state of WA... you can get your a$$ handed to you if that tree falls on the house.

Silvey's are very expensive... and you can't just go rent one. Don't even think about using an automotive bottle jack to do it.

Springboards at 100' up? are you nuts?

Like clearance said... you might have to set a 1" line in it and attach it to a shovel or something.

I think you should skip this job if the tree is as big as you say it is.

my .02:taped:

Gary

Whats a shovel gonna do? Be a handle to pull on the rope with

If you need to put a pull on it, find a GOOD operator and use cable. I'd use a tracked vehicle, and hope its got a hydrostatic drive or torque converter so you can ease the tension on, and hold it. I've seen a lot of rope and chains break when it comes to pulling. Granted, haven't jerked over any doug firs... but you're hard pressed to break a good cable.


I tried to take a 6ft dbh cottonwood stem down when I was real green at falling... it was difficult to say the least. I'd say to pass the job up with a back lean towards a house.

 

[polexie]

Pictures please, like Bull asked. Not only for diagnose, Ilike big tree pics.:angry2:

 

[GASoline71]

Whats a shovel gonna do? Be a handle to pull on the rope with

LMAO... you obviously don't know what a "shovel" is do you?

Gary

 

[Cedarkerf]

LMAO... you obviously don't know what a "shovel" is do you?

Gary

These are shovels ya silly. They even have loops to tie the 1" cable to. Sheesh Gary are you really from around here.

 

[slowp]

Shoveling out the truck

 

[Pacific]

Without pictures to see what you got to deal with its hard to give a answer.

It sounds like a job for a crane and take it down in pieces its the safest way. You can use a hoe to pull but you still have no real controll over the tree. My parents neighbours property had a couple 36" at the butt cedars with a heavy lean. The contractor had a EX200 Hitachi had a cable up into the tree back to the excavator still couldn't get the tree to go where they wanted it.

slowp that old heal boom looks like a antique

I guess I'am used to seeing 3800 Madills and 300 Hitachi's.

 

[2dogs]

I don't mean to sound like a jerk but this is one of those...if you gotta ask then you have no business trying to fall this tree. Your big saw and long bar don't mean squat if you don't know what to do with them. Pass this job up, grab a chair and a cooler and enjoy the show. Don't forget to take pics and a video of the takedown.

 

[Canyonbc]

I dont no much about old growthers...and i know it cant really be excat...but does anyone have a educated guess...on how tall this tree is???

Pictures would be awesome....trees that big are just damn amazing.

How much lean is in the tree?

 

[Canyonbc]

I know this could be answered with a couple pics of the tree...but since there arent any i will ask..

how much lean is there towards the tree...

Why not limb up the leaning side....completly take all the weight off that side...then get a shovel with a 1 inch cable..

Wouldnt that do the trick, in most situations???

I have no experince with old growth or trees that big....but what do you think???

 

[ArtB]

I take it the 12 ft is circumference (biggest known D Fir remaining in King Co is in a park at the North end of the county and is about that size - just under 4 ft DBH)

Pulled over a Cottonwood that size outside Renton a few years back (just under 4 ft DBH) . Direct lean over a pumphouse.

Used relatively serious cabling (wire rope, double 5/8 in a couple of places), double block. In the 'leaner' pix you can make out 2 3/8 cables off to the right that provide a big 40 foot hinge base (cottonwood not anywhere as tensile capable as DFir)

Pull end of pull cable went to 12,000# winch with truck chained to 2 ft dia maple and JD crawler for good measure.

For Fun, parked an old Dodge at the aim point - hit'er good!

 

[Canyonbc]

Really...that is it only 4 ft dbh...man really would excepted it to be bigger than that.

 

[rbtree]

I take it the 12 ft is circumference (biggest known D Fir remaining in King Co is in a park at the North end of the county and is about that size - just under 4 ft DBH)
QUOTE]


The former King Co champ was 255 feet tall, and 8 feet dbh. It is in O.O. Denny Park, in Juanita. All that remains is a tall snag.

We climbed a 215 footer in Seward Park a while back. It is 6 feet dbh. Here's pics of one on Mercer Is that is still alive. I've worked on it twice. Since these pics were taken, it has died back more at the top, and we've taken out some limbs, plus some have broken. Not much left. It is still 125 feet tall, and about 22 inches at that height. It's 5 feet dbh...and there's several larger than it on Mercer Is, The Highlands, and Schmitz park as well as Seward Pk.

We recently removed 2 poplar in Kirkland. Circumference at ground level was 26 feet on the larger of the 2. Total wood and stump weight was prolly 100 tons. 5 40 yard grapple truckloads of wood and stump grindings, and about 40 yards of chips....