Dead Elm Climbed and Roped Down

[Nailsbeats]

nice work.....looks like a DED kill? The beetles get after the tree and the bark all falls off, but the wood still has plenty of strength....

at least that was my experience from the only DED elm job I've done....I posted that job up here a few years back.....my wood contact got two full long log truck loads of wood..for free...and have made or will make a ton of expensive furniture from it!

Most municipalities want the bark off the wood and burned or buried...or everything chipped up....so it won't attract more beetles. Around here, with few elms, and not much DED as yet, most towns besides Seattle have little experience with the problem.

Thank you and right on RB, that's the deal. My old man took down a dead Elm that was 111" DBH, so he's in all his glory on those jobs.

 

[Nailsbeats]

the proof is in the puddin'. good job beats.

Thanks much. Hope to get the rest of the pic's soon so you guy's can see some more of the process.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

nice work.....looks like a DED kill? The beetles get after the tree and the bark all falls off, but the wood still has plenty of strength....

Rock solid if not standing too many years, the stumps of the big ones can take decades to rot out.

Some of the smaller dia will rot fast though, I've pulled several over with throwline and no saw.

Need sharp gaffs on that crap, I always touch mine up before leaving the truck.

I do several fo those big deaders a year, the twisty ones can suck if you are not feeling like a challenge that day. One main stem/branch heads back between to others and so forth, you end up taking half the day getting to where you can start going big.

Most municipalities want the bark off the wood and burned or buried...or everything chipped up....so it won't attract more beetles.

It has become so ubiquitous that they will condemn a few trees, but you can usually get away with waiting for the bark to fall off.

With it everywhere, and an average spread rate of around 5 miles with 10 mile outliers, (based on beetle flight) there is not much one can do these days aside from good cultural controls and ArborTec on specimen quality trees.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I like to use a whoopie sling and my 5/8" block when it warrants in the tree. I use the 18' eye sling with the porta wrap at the base. I like to use a natural crotch when I don't want to lose the height of using the whoopie sling, which happens when trying to girth it around small diameter tops.

This tree was done with a natural crotch for a rigging point and my dad took wraps around the base of the tree for lowering. He likes the new porta-wrap and blocks we now have, he just doesn't like to take the time to put them on. He loves it when we do it for him though, lol.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I just got and added 3 more pics to the original post, check em' out. I believe there are more, just waiting to get them e-mailed to me, not my camera.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Oldirty, here is the bar I was telling you about. The backdrop is a sh1tcovered hardmaple stump I carved into a chair in my front yard.

 

[oldirty]

Are you using a sling on 2 separate branches to get a higher rig point?

One way I'll do it is to run a retrievable line in two smaller crotches so one will back the other up, then I do not have to haul my lardass up to clean gear.

most of the time i just use 2 slings in case 1 fails.

not sure i get the second part of your post though. your using 2 crotches while rigging? 1 being the main rig'n point and the other is back up?

Oldirty, here is the bar I was telling you about. The backdrop is a sh1tcovered hardmaple stump I carved into a chair in my front yard.

that is a nice bar. 40 bucks you say? nice chair by the way.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Yeah, $40 is what I paid at my Stihl dealer. That chair is suprisingly comfortable. On a nice day I put a quilt over it and put my feet up on the footstool (which is just a hardmaple round on the ground in front of it) grab a beer or some ice tea and I got it made in the shade.

 

[ropensaddle]

Looks better on a 372xp all orange baby

 

[Nailsbeats]

Rope, I'll be gettin another or 2 or 3 soon for my husky's. I'm sure they look sharp.

 

[treemandan]

one of my go to moves is the double sling to steel biner for false crotching. the only problem with doing that is that you have to go back up the tree to get them if you forgot about them. (i'm not dumping my gear to the ground with the wood.)

and its all about the showmanship! lol


thanks for the photo info.

One of my go to moves is to drag a heavy assed block and eye splice with a bullrope through the tree. Set it up all over and get all tangled up. Not exactly fun or quick but it works! As for showmanship I get to show how heavy that block is and how hard it is to put it right where you want it. Once its there though I can put whatever I want on it. My man Jamie will let it fly, then of course smash in to the ground so hard you don't need to cut it to pick it up anymore.
When I say my man I mean my buddy, not "my man". I don't own nobody.

 

[treemandan]

Rope, I'll be gettin another or 2 or 3 soon for my husky's. I'm sure they look sharp.

That is very true cause on the Stihl It looks gay but then again its not for looks is it.
It will look good on the husky, color is off for the Stihl.

 

[treemandan]

most of the time i just use 2 slings in case 1 fails.

not sure i get the second part of your post though. your using 2 crotches while rigging? 1 being the main rig'n point and the other is back up?




that is a nice bar. 40 bucks you say? nice chair by the way.

There you go getting me worried again. 2 crotches for rigging? All the time and sometimes never.
I did some work for these brothers, one of which lost his leg in a Morbark but he could lower very well. All he ever used was an old climbing line with some knicks and a bent up old brake with the web strap of it half ripped.
Try as I might I couldn't get this rope to break. I would put the biggest piece on and he would sail it down effortlessy, no matter what. I had a lot of respect for him, he never beat me up, but I hated his rope. It had some problems.
I had set a CMI steel block on one side of a big double lead ash and a Ali. block on the other side. It was over a pool. I was going nuts on this tree and when I was looking at the one top I said" OK". I put a huge assed piece on this rope and cut it. When it started to go and pick up speed I looked over at the one CMI pulley and waited for the big knick. When it hit the side of the pulley it just cut it instantly. I felt I had finally one. The next day he has a brand new rope.
The way the pulleys were twisted made the knick in the rope get cut on the side of the pulley. Ooops. but i knew it would. so did he.-

 

[treemandan]

another one of my go to moves is when I stick a patio umbrella through the sunroof of my pick up and say" Who is going to go to Wawa and get me a chili dog?"
sorry to bust and get off topic but lets here some more go to moves please.
I am not poking fun I just love the term " go to" very much.
Nails, Check out the roots on those standing deads.specially elm. would surprise me if all it took to pull that tree over was a little tug of 750 lbs.

 

[oldirty]

oops. i didnt phrase the q to jps in the proper way. and now tman is all over it.

and it was a rather stupit question, i'll admit that now that i have a chance to look. "and sometimes not at all"

i under stand the multi point rigging that your getting at tmizz but you werent hearing the question. in fact i still dont know how to ask what the hell he is talking about.

brainfart. thats all.



so you want some "go to" moves? sh1t i do that makes it easy? ok. you give me a scenerio and i'll paint the picture.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Nails, Check out the roots on those standing deads.specially elm. would surprise me if all it took to pull that tree over was a little tug of 750 lbs.

Yes, that would suprise me also.

 

[Treetom]

que cojones!

You gotta know yer wood when yer climbing those dead ones. Nice pics. Great work!

 

[ropensaddle]

You gotta know yer wood when yer climbing those dead ones. Nice pics. Great work!

Yeah Elm no worries I wish I took pictures of the dead gum
I had a few years back, you would rope and hope! I had one or
two break in half good thing two ropes were placed butt and tip
if ya know what I mean! I also don't care much for climbing dead
poplars!

 

[capetrees]

Question on the dead elm;

What are the laws or requirements in discarding the dead elm wood? If it died of Dutch elm disease, which I don't know if you know anyway, my understanding is that the wood must be buried to stop the spread of the disease. True? My understanding is that if its allowed to sit exposed in the dump or burned as firewood, the disease spreads? Any insight from anyone? Fact or fiction?

BTW Nice drop!

 

[ropensaddle]

Question on the dead elm;

What are the laws or requirements in discarding the dead elm wood? If it died of Dutch elm disease, which I don't know if you know anyway, my understanding is that the wood must be buried to stop the spread of the disease. True? My understanding is that if its allowed to sit exposed in the dump or burned as firewood, the disease spreads? Any insight from anyone? Fact or fiction?

BTW Nice drop!

I have always burned it brush wood etc. Buried prolly ok if none are present at graveyard but burning gets rid of it. It is very important to sterilize your cutting gear after the job!