Dealing with toppled Trees

[UnityArborist]

We had quite a wind storm here in Eugene Or last week. Three big, 100'+, fir trees went down in my neighborhood. My query is how do I go about Dealing with the huge uprooted roots. I know how to deal with the wood and brush, but these are giant root balls that are in back yards with difficult access.

There is dirt and such all up in there, and a good chunk off roots still in the ground. I think I might us a stump grinder to cut the roots that are still in the ground and a crane to lift it over the fence and into my trailer.

If any one out there has any suggestions about how to deal with toppled roots.

 

[BC WetCoast]

I've stump ground toppled Douglas fir that were about 5' in diameter. Start grinding where you have access, then use the mulch to build a ramp to get up on top of the stump. However, this way you have to deal with the excess mulch rather than just craning out the stump.

If you have difficult access, you may have to crane the stump grinder into the yard, or remove some of the fence.

 

[EdenT]

Sounds like a reasonable plan unity if you have a crane and truck at your disposal. Put the sling around the root before you cut the rest of the tree off. That way if it stands up you can still lift it out. Take care. People have been killed when the root ball / stump stands back up.

 

[Bermie]

Sever the trunk from the rootball before attempting to do anything else with it

Recently toppled trees have a LOT of potential energy stored in the roots and rootball and can react very suddenly with exteme consequenses...PLAN the operation extemely carefully, winches, retaining ropes...good suggestions.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I worked on a storm where we cur the but as low as it would go and then pulled it back over.

If you can get an excavator on the site, a stump shear will make short work of big softwood root-plates.

 

[jomoco]

A 60 ton trackhoe with a thumb can rip big stumps out of the ground faster than I can drop them. With a good operator, they can rip out a week's worth of my felling and crane removals in one friggin day!

And with the thumb loading them into an end dump or whatever goes pretty quick too.

jomoco

 

[clearance]

Take care. People have been killed when the root ball / stump stands back up.

You got that right. Blowdown is sketchy at the best of times.

 

[pdqdl]

If you are lucky, you can get the rootball to flop back into the hole. Obviously, that comes with some risk.

Once you have toppled the rootball, cut off any standing stump, and put a stump grinder on the remaining parts above ground or offensively above grade.

This technique eliminates the need for hauling off and disposing of a huge root ball, it also fills the hole and saves a huge amount of time and money. It will almost always require less brute force to flop into the hole than it will to pick it up and haul it away, so the options are much better for limited access.

With enough pulleys and rope, and a good point to anchor to, you might be able to do this without any heavy equipment at all.

 

[ForTheArborist]

Use a cut off saw - the one with the big wheel. It won't go dull from hitting dirt.