Monkey puzzle tree

[RAG66]

I'm about to remove monkey puzzle tree. So a few questions. What type of gloves could I use? How heavy is this punk? What is the botanical name, my wife says it's a relative of the Norfolk island pine? Any true answers, advice, and suggestions are welcome. This thing looks and feels dangerous. :msp_ohmy:

 

[RAG66]

Guess I answered the question of what it is, a Chilean pine. But now how to approach it? I see some 15 views of this thread, no one has done one of these?

 

[squad143]

I was one of the viewers, mostly because the thread title caught my eye.

Had to look it up. Interesting tree.

Sorry, can't help you. Have not come across one of those yet. Maybe somebody on the west coast can help.

Botanical name: Araucaria araucana

Identify Monkey Puzzle Tree - Manage the Monkey Puzzle Tree - Araucaria araucana

Best of luck.

 

[capecodtree]

monkey puzzle

Most of your questions can be answered with minimal research on google. Do not cut down the mp's. Contact a local tree mover and sell them! Around here a nice mp can be sold for BIG money. better yet dig and wrap yourself, the pain could be worth 5-10k. good luck jim

 

[RAG66]

No saving this one. It is near 2 ft at the base and about 30 - 40ft tall. I need to figure out how to handle the branches. I may call a local guy with a brush grapple self loader.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Araucaria imbricata. Massive cones. You can probably use a hand saw for limbing. Sometimes it is easier because they are not as scaffolded as Norfork. If your roping, use a pulley or block off the trunk and not the limbs. Decent gloves are ok. Just watch for cones above you that might fall. Your groundies will like it less than you.
Jeff

 

[capecodtree]

big monkey puzzle

30-40' wow! I've never seen one bigger than 15-20'. better you than me. good luck, jim

 

[jefflovstrom]

30-40' wow! I've never seen one bigger than 15-20'. better you than me. good luck, jim

50'-60' is common here.
Jeff

 

[tree md]

I've seen one in CA and have a pic of one in one of my books. I'm just curious, what makes them so valuable?

 

[ozzy42]

Here where I am ,on the west coast of Fl.They have been calling a few of these trees by the wrong name for as long as I can remember.I did too until I did some googleing.

It seems what they call a Norfolk Island pine is really a Cook Island pine & what everybody calls a Monkey Puzzle tree here is actually a true Norfolk Island pine .

So all it leaves me with is::monkey:

 

[capecodtree]

monkey puzzle

Monkey puzzle trees are few and far between here. As with anything, trees out of the "norm" for an area are considered unique, demanding more $$. I have only seen them used in an ornamental, "feature tree", capacity. Other than the name, they don't do much for me. jim

 

[mr. holden wood]

I'm about to remove monkey puzzle tree. So a few questions. What type of gloves could I use? How heavy is this punk? What is the botanical name, my wife says it's a relative of the Norfolk island pine? Any true answers, advice, and suggestions are welcome. This thing looks and feels dangerous. :msp_ohmy:

I hope you bid it really high. One of the bigger outfits around here, advised me to take what you think would be a high bid and then tripple that. Best bet would be a crane and a clam truck.Wear many layers, leather gloves and use pitch forks and tarps. Depending what you run for a chipper load those nasty branches one by one. You most likely got the bid cause know one elses wanted it.Have fun.

 

[mr. holden wood]

Monkey puzzle trees are few and far between here. As with anything, trees out of the "norm" for an area are considered unique, demanding more $$. I have only seen them used in an ornamental, "feature tree", capacity. Other than the name, they don't do much for me. jim

One mans trash is another mans treasure. Nobody wants anything to do with these trees around here.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Here where I am ,on the west coast of Fl.They have been calling a few of these trees by the wrong name for as long as I can remember.I did too until I did some googleing.

It seems what they call a Norfolk Island pine is really a Cook Island pine & what everybody calls a Monkey Puzzle tree here is actually a true Norfolk Island pine .

So all it leaves me with is::monkey:

I don't know the people you call 'they', but, they should not be your only source. I think the Cook Island is a name change, I told you the botanical name. A true Norfolk is scaffolded perfectly and a monkey is a mess. If you can not tell the difference between a Monkey and a Norfolk, you are not looking. We have in abundance Monkey, Norfolk, bidwillii, and cumminghamii, ( the bunya-bunya and the hoop). Stop listening to people you call 'They'.
Jeff

 

[squad143]

Read somewhere that woodturners (bowl makers) like to use that wood.

You may want to contact some wood workers in your area. They probably won't pay you for it, but may take a few pieces. No sense in all of it going to waste.

I do that sometimes with basswood. The carvers seem to like it.

 

[mr. holden wood]

I don't know the people you call 'they', but, they should not be your only source. I think the Cook Island is a name change, I told you the botanical name. A true Norfolk is scaffolded perfectly and a monkey is a mess. If you can not tell the difference between a Monkey and a Norfolk, you are not looking. We have in abundance Monkey, Norfolk, bidwillii, and cumminghamii, ( the bunya-bunya and the hoop). Stop listening to people you call 'They'.
Jeff

Love it when you get feisty JL. Something to be said for knowing the scientific names when it comes to tree ID.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Love it when you get feisty JL. Something to be said for knowing the scientific names when it comes to tree ID.

Ha ha, I'm not really feisty (right) but I could go out tomorrow and take pics of the different one's. Cook Island is in my understanding a name change for what ever reason. I've been a SoCal tree guy since 1977 and we do have a lot of them. The worst part is the cone's. If one hit's you, you will know it. A Norfolk is no way a Monkey in disguise.
Jeff

 

[RAG66]

Ok so all I said in the begining was "my wife said it was a relative of Norfolk Island Pine". Thanks Jeff for gettin in the mix. After I posted I went back to gggooogggllle and did my "light research". Yeah it's a Chilean Pine and they can get huge, this one is not a size challenge but I'm thinking of the ground guys. Does it chip ok??? I already have a bowl turner speaking for most of the big trunk wood. Anyone ever split this stuff, could you use it for firewood or is it like palm inside?

 

[beastmaster]

I have done a few of them. The bunya bunya and monkey puzzle look the same but one has soft leafs and one has hard leafs.(by leaves I mean those green things on the end of the branches)
You'll want to ware gloves, and the branches are really brittle. Like Jeff said, watch out for those massive cones. The wood is tough on the out side, use sharp gaffs. The branches, the trunk and the leaves will all cut you. I don't ware gloves when I am in a tree and have done them no problem, but I try not to touch them. They have lots of branches. Last one I did I used a bunch of slings and tied off 5 or more at a time and lowered them. You can cut a 1/3 of the way throu and push em with the saw and they'll snap.
It's the ground guys that are screwed. Dragging and chipping those long mean branches is a big pain.
I would rather do a Monkey puzzle then a big silk floss tree or Peruvian pepper. They're not that bad.

 

[RAG66]

Well we're going to do this tree either next week or week after so I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes. So this one has hard, sharp "leaves". Which one is it? I have seen some around here that look more organized with fewer branches, this one is a mad house kinda bushy. I thought it was the chilean pine but as always we call one tree by several names....