down madrone

[tstemple]

Hello, I mostly cut down trees for firewood for myself and neighbors. I have done this for years but have no commercial or formal training and although I'm careful probably know just enough to be dangerous. So I need your advice. I have a down madrone about 36" at the base that has fallen over a swale (resting about 5' off the ground) and sits on the ground some 25' up from the root end. At that point the tree is about 26" in diameter. My plan is to chain the log about 2' down from the 26" end to a down hill tree and then with a ms 441 with a 28" bar start a cut from the top putting two wedges in at the top and two or three in on the side that I'm cutting from, continuing the cut straight through the tree. My assumption is that it would stay in place as I finished the cut and I could then winch it or pull it with a tractor so that the butt end slid down into the swale. Is this plan workable and safe? Sorry, I'm not up on my property now so I can't try to post pictures so if the verbal picture is not clear enough, I'll have to wait an post again when I get up there. I really appreciate your help and must say that that this site is a great resource for us amateurs.

 

[2dogs]

Can you take the tree apart in smaller sections? Madrone is heavy. And it burns great! Sounds like your plan could work but I would hesitate chaining it down. Any tree can move when you cut it and you should expect it to. If you chain it down you may build up energy somewhere else. Since you have a tractor you could just cripple the tree and break it with the tractor.

BTW what part of Collyfornia are you in?

 

[tstemple]

Thanks 2 Dogs, I'm up in So. Humbolt Co. a bit East of Shelter Cove. The reason I'm trying to take it in longer lengths is that my neighbor is milling and drying madrone and is able to stabilize the wood and make some beautiful flooring and trim. Also, I've got to get the log down on the ground (it's bridging about a 20' swale) before I try do any bucking on it so I'm really just trying to find a safe way of getting the 20+ feet at the butt end to fall into the swale. Yes, madrone is a great fire wood; I like it way better than tan oak which is somewhat more plentiful on our property. I just added the idea of the chain to make sure if it moved as I finished the cut it could not move in my direction. The neighbor who will be getting the wood has a Cat backhoe with an extendahoe so I think he can just pull the 20' into the swale if it won't fall by itself. My guess is that with the wedges in it might just sit there as if it hadn't been cut but I've never tried this on such a large log.

 

[woodrat]

I used to run a woodmizer mill down your way; I lived up in Salmon Creek. The madrone is definitely worth milling and drying. Beautiful wood!

And way nicer firewood than tanoak. I used to burn a LOT of tanoak, it leaves a ton of ash behind.

 

[raycarr]

tstemple,
I know someone who lived north of you in the Mattole Valley, I think he called it BearTrap. I've never been there, but was told it was parardise before the ranches were sold off, and a bunch of people moved in.