Ever Have A Tree "Pee" On You? Stink Trees?

[StihlRockin']

LOL! I was removing a large Cottonwood in one of the suburbs of Minneapolis back in the day and as my saw sunk in deeper, the dang thing started to gush water all over me, my waist and legs. Usually you'd think the first instinct would be to run or jump back, but I was so shocked, I just stood there and watched. LOL! Since then I have had it happen a few more times, but nothing like that tree on that day. I know I've also seen it happen with Elm trees, but not to the same extent.

Do you have trees that are full of water like that where when you make a cut, it starts to drain?

How about stinky trees? Do you have one in your region that just stinks when you go to cut them? I'd have to say it's our Elm trees that smell bad; especially when you go to lift them, they're full of water and it gets on your clothes... lingering odor for the rest of the day. I know when I go to grinding, I don't like the smell of Box Elder trees.

Trees that pee or stink... Got pee? LOL!

StihlRockin'

 

[Dadatwins]

Old maple trees will usually hold a nice pool of slop in them. Some willow trees have it also. Anything with a cavity that will allow rain water to fill up will usually make for a messy day on the climber.

 

[Grace Tree]

We took down an 70ft. maple last fall that was in a woodlot but within striking distance of a house. Good wood on the face cut but as soon as I started the back cut it sprayed water all over my legs. I was glad to have an insurance line in top and very, very happy to be able to crank it over in the right direction. It had a 3 ft. cavity on the backside that must have been completely full of stinky water. I was soaked from the knees down but happy to have it on the ground.
Phil

 

[TDunk]

I've had a couple cherry trees take a wiz on me before. I did the same thing as Stihl Rockin', it took me a second or two to figure out what was going on, by then it was to late and my chaps/pants were soaked.

 

[senechal]

Poplars typically behave like that. Sometimes it gets pretty nasty.

 

[mantis]

Piss Elm name says it all...smells like piss:greenchainsaw:

 

[smokechase II]

West Coast pee

White Fir, (aka Grand Fir - no one needs to start a species ident discussion - relax).

Out here White Fir can dump a little to a lot of water on you and it has the fragrance of Dairy Cattle urine.

Hence its colloquial name of Piss Fir.

 

[LarryTheCableGuy]

This thread that Ekka started has a video of a gusher - pretty impressive, as are pretty much all of his videos.


.

 

[Justice]

I have had some red oaks pee. Some out of the base, but several out of limbs. Its funny when you cut off a limb and it starts "peeing" out, all the ground guys feel is spray,and see you hanging there with a stream of "water" coming down... water that smells...lol You can only imagine the comments...lol

 

[treeman82]

The clearest memory I have of a willow is from about 10 years ago. I cut out this big lead from the tree and I started smelling something that resembled draft horse piss. I started looking around, and there was a BIG stream of sap spraying down to the ground from where my cut was.

 

[RedlineIt]

"Upon what meat do these Gods feed, that they have grown so strong?"

Arborist's corollary: "What the focks this tree been drinking!?"

Did a removal of a Lombardy that had grown on a septic field. Pee-yoo! Every cut I made was rank enough, but when the crew fired up the chipper... I was told we had neighbors asking if we'd hit a gas line,... how long is it going to stink like this,...Honey, let's go visit your mother.

When I CAN identify a tree as a "tanker", I will come down a ways and stand on my spurs to one side of a bore cut with my 200T and run the bore cut up untill there is seepage or I hear/see the goo-water splashing at the top of the "tank". Pull the saw out and Look Out Below!

Sometimes requires a second insertion if leaves and gunk jam my drain-hole.

What a great job!


RedlineIt

 

[ozarktreeman]

yea,i cut into big dead redoak that spit red juice all over me ,stood up and guy,s thought that i cut my leg off.worst was a dead cottonwood.had wash clothes 3 times to get that smell out.

 

[Sprig]

My experience was with a variety of Am willow, it had been knocked down during the winter and left a 24"diam and about 8' high. My first face cut, hm, spewing water and mushy oatmeal sawdust, what a mess! That wood took nearly two years to dry at the bottom of my woodpile, oh the joy when I started burning it, made everything smell like cat spray ICK! Burned pretty good though for what it was, most went on bonfires though



Serge

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I call them gushers, it is especially bad when it is cold out

Seems to me that the species that compartmentalize with a strong wall 4, but tend to hollow out inside it e.g., red oak, are most likely to have cavity water. Also the seem to be under included crotches more often then not.

 

[(WLL)]

i hate it when that:censored: happens

 

[hammerlogging]

Among the hundreds, as a full time cutter, I've run across gushers several times- probably 20+ that were big time gushers. Some I swear upwards of 50 gallons. SOme take so long to drain (lest spewing the wet sawdust and water on your legs more than the initial surprise) you have to go on to the next tree to let it finish draining. I've even had it where it stopped, than went and bored the other side and again another 20 gallons! Damn. But I'll tell you what, the wildest ones to me are the ones with built up pressure- gas instead of water. Literally blow, and hard. Really surprising, first time I thought it was a big rattler in my ear, whatever, scared the crap out of me, the skidder driver saw me jump back, let go of the saw and all. Once I saw the gas as vapor. Its a cool treat now.

Some mountain locals call scarlet oak "piss oak" cause they say it smells like cat pee. I've not had a problem, with it myself.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Another odd one I saw was a hard maple street tree that had a cavity all the way down past the roots. A sewer lateral went under it and when the did the smoke test, the smoke came out of the included crotch 30 ft up.

 

[masiman]

I was taking down a neighbors dead tulip poplar (safetied into adjacent oak, lanyard around the poplar). A flat stream across the back cut came out and soaked me. If I had been standing I would have paused befuddled like the others. In this case I was strapped and trapped so I had to let it drain on me. Thankfully, it was warm out and the water was slightly cool. It stunk like old rotting compost. Wood peckers and other things had created the giant straw. Must have been about 5-10 gallons that came out of that 10 foot section.

The stuff disintegrated my underwear after a few days.

 

[Sprig]

I was taking down a neighbors dead tulip poplar (safetied into adjacent oak, lanyard around the poplar). A flat stream across the back cut came out and soaked me. If I had been standing I would have paused befuddled like the others. In this case I was strapped and trapped so I had to let it drain on me. Thankfully, it was warm out and the water was slightly cool. It stunk like old rotting compost. Wood peckers and other things had created the giant straw. Must have been about 5-10 gallons that came out of that 10 foot section.

The stuff disintegrated my underwear after a few days.

Must be nice not havin' ta change 'em daily, kinda funky Like a 'dog shower', ya know, where da dog licks alla da sweat off



Serge

 

[Fuzly]

LOL! That's funny right there