Forced to Forfeit

[benjo75]

Good job on that tree. I had one like that about 15 years back. Every other tree service around turned it down. Way too rotten to climb and no truck access. I bid it and got it. Crap. I started up it with spurs cutting small limbs along the way. It was like climbing a Styrofoam ice chest. My spikes wouldn't reach solid wood. I could tear bark off and pull wads of rotten wood out with my fingers. But I could tell the core, however small, would be solid. But I didn't want to be in it when the 25 ft. top came out. So I threw a line in the top for pulling the top out. I also threw a line in the top to pull backwards to hold the top from falling before I got down. I notched the top and made the backcut as far as I felt safe. Rappelled down. Released the back rope. Crap again. Couldn't pull the top out. It would have broke the tree in the middle first. Didn't make the back cut deep enough . I wasn't going back up either. Finally got permission to remove small section of neighbors fence and back bucket right to it. The old hickory was solid enough to hold me but I couldn't tell it for sure until I got it down and started cutting it up.

There's always a way. But it's best to trust your instinct.

 

[Zale]

Hickory is very strong wood even when dead.

 

[JeffGu]

Great job... sometimes you just need to get a perspective and take another look... I would have had concerns about that thing, myself. It wasn't exactly in the prime of life!

 

[ropensaddle]

Hickory is very strong wood even when dead.

Around here it gets punky fairly quick. They can be downright scary with a bad base. Having said that, the pause was fully understandable the tree was strong but was a bean pole. I would have done it but I would not have rushed up it. I normally set line for my wraptor and pull with two mens weight to test before going up I likely would have tested a tad longer for this tree just because Good job Jonesav

 

[rarefish383]

Good job. People that let a tree get that bad, right over their house, need to have the squat smacked out of them. They are putting your life one the line. I have found that though the trunk may be sturdy, the root systems can rot out pretty quick. Don't like dead Hickory, Joe.