Head Lean / Side Lean

[Haywire Haywood]

I was reading through D. Dent's book again last night, and it talked about head lean and side lean as 2 forces that impact tree falling. I don't quite understand the concept. Does he mean in relation to the intended falling direction? I.E. if it's leaning the way you want it to fall, then it's head lean, but if it's leaning 90° to the intended direction then it's side lean? The way it reads, it seems to say that a tree can have both side and head lean and I just can't grasp it.

thanks,
Ian

 

[John Ellison]

I know what you are talking about, the side lean can be kind of depending on how you look at it. I think what he is talking about and what people refer to as far as lean is the natural lean. Disreguarding any felling direction.

If you look at a tree and you can easily tell that it wants to fall to the north, then that is the head lean. If you stand at the base of the tree on the south side and look up and see that the majority of the limbs are on the west or left side or the stem takes a slight lean to the left then that is the side lean. So, if you want to fall the tree to the west it is a favorable side lean.
I would say that the head lean is always the same, but the side lean can change.
Depending on which way you want to fall it, the side lean can be favorible in a pretty big arc.
Most all trees do lean two ways. Learning to recognize the lean/s is the biggest help to falling timber. Misreading the lean can cause you more work and aggravation than anything else. A plumb line (sinker and string) or axe can help but that means getting back at a distance from the tree, which is too time consuming. Eventually you will be able to walk right up to it and tell the leans by looking up, and then fly right at it. But, even with experience there are times that you will not be sure and then procede with caution. Such as be extra sure that you do not cut the lower side(opposite the side you are working from) of your hinge off, just in case it leans over your head and get a wedge/s in early to avoid setback.
I hope that I didnt confuse things more. Reading the leans of a tree was one of the hardest things for me to figure out too. And sometimes you just dont know for sure.

 

[Gologit]

Reading the leans of a tree was one of the hardest things for me to figure out too. And sometimes you just dont know for sure.

Well said. You can usually tell when somebody misjudged one...the wedge knocking seems to go on forever. The cussing, too.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

That explained it perfectly. I think I understand now. If a tree has a heavy side lean, then it might try to twist on the stump as it goes down if the hinge too thin to control it. Does that sound right?

Ian

 

[joesawer]

IMO a tree can only lean one direction. To me head lean is leaning the desired direction of fall. Side lean refers to the amount of lean to the side of the desired direction of fall. The tree can be at any numer of different angles to the lay.
Yes a side leaner will try to break the tension side of the hinge.

 

[2dogs]

In a couple of weeks I have to drop some dead pines and firs that are leaning toward a river. They are around 36" in diameter and 120 feet tall. I have a friend who is going to help out and who has more experience with this sort of situation. He also has a 2 ram Silvey jack. I am afraid if we try to wedge the trees back over we could break out a top so jacking may be our best option. Also the roots are in sandy soil and don't hold well. We (he) took one down for me last week I was having trouble reading the lean on. I didn't bore the tree first (I'm a dumbass sometimes) and it turned out to be rotten. When the tree fell about half the stump, sort of an oval through the center, pulled out. Thank God there was just enough hinge left to direct it where it was aimed for.

Leaners are tough for me to judge. I tend not to walk out far enough or carry a plumb line. I use my axe mostly.

In 1982 after a flood I was cutting a big 3 trunk tan oak that had been torn out by the flood water and had floated down the river several miles. The flood had left the tree in a housing tract about 25' above the river and 100 yards from the water. I was standing on top of an old growth redwood stump about 8' off the ground and was cutting through one trunk near the root plate. I though the tree would just drop straight down but it twisted as it came down and "brushed" my thigh enough to send to the hospital and keep me on crutches for several weeks. I read the tree wrong and it cost me.

 

[Kiwilogger]

Side lean I would take to be as a tree leaning at 90 deg (or whatever) to the intended direction of fall.

I went and dropped some small pines (20" butts) at my Dads place last weekend. They were leaning back, and I was sure I would be able to wedge them over.

I ended up dropping one on the driveway, and cutting it up and throwing it over the fence. phew... The rest I ended up wedging over eventually..!

They were only little buggers too. Lucky there was a good swirly wind to help get the damn things moving.