How to take out a forked leaner?

[windthrown]

OK, we have a 50+ ft doug fir on a skid road. It is forked about half way up, maybe 16" DBH. Last storm and flooding seems to have loosened the root mass, and it is tipping toward the road. The Girlfriend wants me to take it down. However, it is growing in a thick mass of tree canopy, and there is no clear place to drop it, canopy-wise with the forks. Ground-wise I can flop it on the skid road, no problem. Moderate slope on skid road, maybe 3% grade.

Now, I cannot cut and push it over with the 'garden' tractor like I am famous for on this site, as it is off the skid road by a few feet and the road/ground is REALLY soggy after this week's rains. I also have a bad back and I cannot climb any more to block cut it from the top down. Also too many other tree limbs interwoven up there, mostly maple and other firs that it would apt to snag, spin and flip it around. So I am thinking... face cut it to drop in the downhill direction of the skid road. Back cut it and add wedges as I go. Then... what to do about the standing leaner forked tree sitting on hinge wood that is pretty much guranteed to happen? Suggestions?

Also near this tree is a weird group of trees. All long curved and bent trunks... four in a row, maybe 2 feet apart. 40-50 ft tall. A thinning nightmare. I suppose I will just drop out the 3 downhill ones, one at a time, and leave the topmost tree in the gourp. Lots of serious bent doug fir trunks in that area. They say that slope failure is the reason they do that? Might be good for milling narural roof arches with, or boat keels. Sadly they high-graded this place 30 years ago and left a lot of crappy split, wolf, high taper, topped, forked and bent trees. Now they are getting bigger and worser with age.

 

[Bermie]

Pictures would be great

Set up your fell as per any leaner. Face cut in direction of lean, sounds like that will be ok. Bore through, set the hinge, leave a 'release' in the back. Take the saw out then cut the release wood in the back.

If it gets hung up as you are suggesting will probably happen, have a winch handy (of appropriate size) take a couple of wraps around the trunk (with a strap or the cable), determine which way it will most likely roll or flip, sever the hinge wood carefully on the opposite side leaving a bit (25%) attached for a pivot. Take up on your winch (you may want to redirect the pull through pulleys and anchor trees to be in a safe spot) and roll it out.
Caution, as you cut the hinge, it may well roll out on its own if the weight is so, be ready!! Cut on the side away from the roll direction.

As you plan, be thinking at each stage...'what will happen if this goes wrong?..and adjust, compensate as necessary especially given the size.

Yell yee haaa when it comes down.

 

[Ed*L]

Climb it or use a ladder and set a cable. Run it in the diraction of your intended fall and set a snatch block so you can pull the tree from a safe direction.
Fell the tree using wedges and use the cable & tractor to finish pulling it down if it snags. You could also "load" the tree in the direction of the fall if you have a winch on the tractor.
It's much safer to rig the tree first, even if you don't end up needing it.

Ed

 

[windthrown]

Good advice...

Good advice guys. Thanks. A bore cut should work well here with pre-cabeling with a snatch block to pull it where I want it. I need to get some good cables anyway for dragging thinned trees out of the woods with the tractor and ATV. I will get a snatch block as well. No winch system on the tractor. We do have a light duty winch on the Polaris ATV though.

I will have to post some photos of these weird trees, but any good perspective and light is really hard to get with a moderate quality digital camera.