cityevader
ArboristSite Operative
I've never tried Locust before, so excited for 2010 when I'll burn it. I already got next years wood from a previous Craigslist score of 3 cords of Oak and 2 of Camphor, as well as this year's dry Madrone and Oak and Bay, 5 cords...and all of it for FREE!!!
The Locust was one of those ads that we all roll our eyes at. You know the ones, "Free firewood, just come chop my trees down."
I half apologize to those who do this for a living, whom I am taking work from, but half not sorry because he already got a quote and refused to pay so much. And I'm desparate to get my hands on as much as I can.
On the phone he said there was nothing in the way, just drop and buck, but a few would have to be climbed. I get there and it's a tangled jungle of mostly small 6 inch trees, 4 or 5 12 inchers, and one 20 incher...all 50+feet tall. There were thorny sapling everywhere, fallen trees wedged into crotches, and my favorite, a larger one hung up in another with the trunk cut off so it was fully suspended from either end starting 6 feet in the air! The first 20' of the 100x40ft lot would hit power lines if simply dropped. The largest ones were alongside his house, and his trailer was underneath all of it! Seriously, I had to laugh! After some considering, I decided to take it on (desparation, remember?)
The first one i gaffed up...never so scared in my life! It was so very skinny there was nothing for the spikes to grab, and I didn't bring up the chainsaw out of safety concern, so was using very sharp handsaw. HO said all trees alive, most leaves fallen off for winter, but as I started sawing, hard as a rock dead. Seemed half hour of sawing a 4 inch trunk, then climbing back down had me compltely exhausted and wanting to call it quits. Next two were done on an extension ladder... and of course by now I should be dead.
Kids, never ever ever try this at home!!!
This cleared a path for many to be roped over in a proper fashion, away from house/trailer/power lines, and many many many in a row fell right between two stumps I'd been aiming for.
Three weeks were spent whittling away at it with only about 40 minutes of daylight left by the time I arrived, and only one "casulty", a hung up tree within a hung up tree. I told him it's gonna hit his little metal shed. He said it'd clear. No it won't. Yes it will. Back and forth, but I was so tired that when he said it didn't matter if it hit I let him have his way. Ten feet of treetop hit the shed and put a good dent in his roof. A close second was when one bigger tree hinge broke (hollow heart), fell towards trailer and the tipmost leaves grazed it. I nearly gave up after that.
All in all, it was a great learning experience, an awful lot of work, with minimal brush hauling, and I got a solid 3.5 to 4 cords of Locust, and about .5 of Bay, and I'm still alive.
The Locust was one of those ads that we all roll our eyes at. You know the ones, "Free firewood, just come chop my trees down."
I half apologize to those who do this for a living, whom I am taking work from, but half not sorry because he already got a quote and refused to pay so much. And I'm desparate to get my hands on as much as I can.
On the phone he said there was nothing in the way, just drop and buck, but a few would have to be climbed. I get there and it's a tangled jungle of mostly small 6 inch trees, 4 or 5 12 inchers, and one 20 incher...all 50+feet tall. There were thorny sapling everywhere, fallen trees wedged into crotches, and my favorite, a larger one hung up in another with the trunk cut off so it was fully suspended from either end starting 6 feet in the air! The first 20' of the 100x40ft lot would hit power lines if simply dropped. The largest ones were alongside his house, and his trailer was underneath all of it! Seriously, I had to laugh! After some considering, I decided to take it on (desparation, remember?)
The first one i gaffed up...never so scared in my life! It was so very skinny there was nothing for the spikes to grab, and I didn't bring up the chainsaw out of safety concern, so was using very sharp handsaw. HO said all trees alive, most leaves fallen off for winter, but as I started sawing, hard as a rock dead. Seemed half hour of sawing a 4 inch trunk, then climbing back down had me compltely exhausted and wanting to call it quits. Next two were done on an extension ladder... and of course by now I should be dead.
Kids, never ever ever try this at home!!!
This cleared a path for many to be roped over in a proper fashion, away from house/trailer/power lines, and many many many in a row fell right between two stumps I'd been aiming for.
Three weeks were spent whittling away at it with only about 40 minutes of daylight left by the time I arrived, and only one "casulty", a hung up tree within a hung up tree. I told him it's gonna hit his little metal shed. He said it'd clear. No it won't. Yes it will. Back and forth, but I was so tired that when he said it didn't matter if it hit I let him have his way. Ten feet of treetop hit the shed and put a good dent in his roof. A close second was when one bigger tree hinge broke (hollow heart), fell towards trailer and the tipmost leaves grazed it. I nearly gave up after that.
All in all, it was a great learning experience, an awful lot of work, with minimal brush hauling, and I got a solid 3.5 to 4 cords of Locust, and about .5 of Bay, and I'm still alive.
