Skeans
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Looks like fun makes me miss hand falling some days.
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Falling pics 11/25/09
- Thread starter Burvol
- Start date
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Looks like fun makes me miss hand falling some days.
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bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Just some days tho right? Haha
Let me guess - on those clear 40 to 50 degree dry ground days. Ron
Skeans
Addicted to ArboristSite
It’s nice working all the time and honestly the days of hand cutting are numbered here. There’s a local company here they had their cutting crew come from 3 hours one way to keep them on all the time. Till the state sets the rules on the slope for tethering there’s probably not much work for a guy with a saw other then small private jobs or oversize.
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bitzer
******** Timber Expert
There is still plenty of timber to hand cut around here. I cut mostly woodlots surrounded by farm fields. 10-40 acre parcels usually. I've been in a lot of timber in the past 5 years that I never would have had access to if it wasn't for EAB. The majority of the harvest are MFL pieces but I do cut private non-MFL sales and state sales. A county sale here and there too. Most are 5-50 truckloads. If I was to employ people I would need more wood and eventually a mechanized side which would eventually lead in to constantly chasing the small wood. I'm happy with where I'm at right now as long as my body can handle it.
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Skeans
Addicted to ArboristSite
They’ve brought the rotation times to so fast around here there’s not enough private ground left to keep a guy running everyday, wish we had some more managed lands but it’s all company grounds out here with a little state.
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same here but your stump is purtier. Why the 2 step Humboldt?
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
The second is a snipe to get the butt down on the ground. The face causes the hinge to break and the snipe sends the butt to the ground. The crotch was a little sideways with the direction I needed the tree to go. So in order keep it from splitting when it hit I got the butt down on the ground asap which causes the tree to lay out more slowly vs. A conventional that would have the top hit first or at the same time as the rest of the tree. When the butt hits the tree drags and then starts to fall distributing the weight and force more evenly as it goes down.
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Anyone wonder what they were shooting at? It's been there a long time. Even the nock was gone. That's probably 25' up the tree.
Brother has a 24" walnut sitting on a steep hill which will have to be cut about 3' above ground due to wire. Told him if I cut it we will do a Humboldt for just that reason but I still can't guarantee it won't split when it hits the ground. Does zero temps increase the odds of a split???
RandyMac
Stiff Member
hippies
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Well I ain't too far from Madison
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Some say it does. I'm not sure I really agree much. If you hit it hard enough to split it, it splits . It does seem like the hinge breaks off easier and trees definitely don't swing as well when below zero.
If I were you put the Humboldt in and then a steep snipe and the butt should hit first giving you your best chance. Leave smaller trees stand or cripple them up to fall when they get hit to cushion the fall. Sometimes all you can do is all you can do. Any chance of sidehilling? Even quartered down the hill can be better then straight down.
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Kind of like this white oak but put the snipe right in line with the face. The skid mark clearly shows where that butt headed
In my experience, trees are a little more brittle below freezing. Kinda makes sense, trees are mostly water with no exothermic process to keep them warm like we do, water freezes, ice is brittle.
It’s not that simple, and I really don’t think trees split along the fibers and would be liable to chair any more than when it’s warm. Trees split weird when they hit the ground all time from interior rot, included bark, codominant stems on a lot of midwest/southeast hardwoods-think Shagbark Hickory, or Sycamore is really bad about splitting too. Now, admittedly I have a lot to learn about production falling because, well, I’m a hazard tree guy and a fire guy.
I would tell him that it’s more likely especially with the gear you have listed in your signiature so you can wait for a warmer day.
It’s not that simple, and I really don’t think trees split along the fibers and would be liable to chair any more than when it’s warm. Trees split weird when they hit the ground all time from interior rot, included bark, codominant stems on a lot of midwest/southeast hardwoods-think Shagbark Hickory, or Sycamore is really bad about splitting too. Now, admittedly I have a lot to learn about production falling because, well, I’m a hazard tree guy and a fire guy.
I would tell him that it’s more likely especially with the gear you have listed in your signiature so you can wait for a warmer day.
In my experience, trees are a little more brittle below freezing. Kinda makes sense, trees are mostly water with no exothermic process to keep them warm like we do, water freezes, ice is brittle.
It’s not that simple, and I really don’t think trees split along the fibers and would be liable to chair any more than when it’s warm. Trees split weird when they hit the ground all time from interior rot, included bark, codominant stems on a lot of midwest/southeast hardwoods-think Shagbark Hickory, or Sycamore is really bad about splitting too. Now, admittedly I have a lot to learn about production falling because, well, I’m a hazard tree guy and a fire guy.
I would tell him that it’s more likely especially with the gear you have listed in your signiature so you can wait for a warmer day.
Very surprised that sycamore is on your bad to split list. From a firewood standpoint I can only say that -20 is about the only time I can get the stuff to split with a maul and a wedge. 40 degrees and it is as bad as red elm. Only tree I have ever chaired was a locust and I knew it was going to happen, I have yanked and yanked on back leaning cherry with a truck and never been able to make one chair.
RandyMac
Stiff Member
'chair 'em for the noise of it
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
I don't have sycamore here. Cherry's will chair. Typically they split then break off tho. They like to bust when bucking and they will shatter/shear when they hit the ground hard enough or get hit by another tree. Ash and red oak break/shear easily when they hit the ground. Hickory and elm will split upon impact but often won't break. They also make the worst springpoles. I've had elm and hickory springpoles 14" in diameter whereas most other species would have snapped off from the pressure.
