Gnarly tree of the day

[TreeGuyHR]

Taking down this oak today -- in the rain, low 40s .

About 80 ft. Oregon white oak, lost half its top last January, landing on the metal roof barn underneath. We are removing the rest -- also two propane tanks under it.

I am building a box over the tanks while the crew works on other trees on the site, then we do this one.

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Set up:

Rig limbs to fir nearby (lowering device at base of fir); use a tag line to slow down swing (probably put a wrap or my baby lowering device on another tree -- not the take down tree. The pulley will only be a few feet above the tie-ins for the limbs. My climber will be in the tree on hooks-- he has seen it, and said that he probably won't rope into another tree -- go to hell plan is to kick out his spikes and slide down. Same problem with a tie in for his life line (in the oak nearby) as for the rigging line in the fir -- too low. After he rigs down the limb, he is going to chunk and throw the trunk.

I told him that I wouldn't ask him to do it if I wouldn't do it myself. However, I would put my life line in the neighboring tree, even if too low. If you nail out, you still wouldn't hit the ground, and would have some time to get your feet around and kick off the tree when you smash into it.

Nominate your gnarly tree.

 

[TreeGuyHR]

We got the oak tree down, no problem. My climber took another oak down that was actually just as bad. I pruned storm damage and deadwood out of three more.

Chunking the split oak. We built a "chicken coop" over the two propane tanks beneath, and didn't drop a twig on it!

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Topping a bent over oak, rigged 90 degrees to lean to a block in another tree; fell just right. I was in the other tree, where I rigged the block after finishing pruning it. His tree was iffy because it was covered in moss and could have had cracks anywhere (he peeled some off to look).

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Top on the ground. Beautiful rainy 40 degree day!

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[TreeGuyHR]

Two more shots of getting the leaner down.

Rigging

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Cutting top. I would have come down from a taller tree in the background on my lifeline, but my climber had the lift truck put him on the trunk and he tied in to it.

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[TimberMcPherson]

Well done. Looks like you really gave it the learn.


Nothing broken, no one hurt, good day!

 

[treebilly]

nice looks like some fun stuff. One day i'll have to get out of the 80's and learn how to download pics. I had a nice 80-90 foot red oak today that had that ninty degree bow to it. The only thing that was bothersome about it was the 1947 house that cost a little over one mill when it was built. We got a few more large removals on the property but are gonna bring in the eighty foot bucket for those. Really need to catch up on the computer crap,there would be some great pics

 

[TreeGuyHR]

nice looks like some fun stuff. One day i'll have to get out of the 80's and learn how to download pics. I had a nice 80-90 foot red oak today that had that ninty degree bow to it. The only thing that was bothersome about it was the 1947 house that cost a little over one mill when it was built. We got a few more large removals on the property but are gonna bring in the eighty foot bucket for those. Really need to catch up on the computer crap,there would be some great pics

Let's see 'em!

I should have gotten pic of climber poking at the split, at around 40 ft., before he climbed above it and started parting it out. I was up an other tree, and we both agreed that it looked OK. The third tree I pruned was really old and had heart rot a good way up -- and the trunk swayed a lot even at 18 in. just from shifting position in the tree -- because of the decay?