Old timers and tall stumps?

[MR4WD]

I don't have any pictures handy, but in my neck of the woods where the cedars grew tall, the old timers cut the stumps 4-6 feet up. 2, or on the big stump, 3 spring board notches. I assume they were handsawn. Big cedars grew on the flat, near a creek or in a shaded stand whrere there was big birch and poplar.

Why, if you were using a misery whip and an axe would you cut in a springboard? Like I said, it was in the flats on the bottom of valleys where you could stand all around the tree? All I can think is they cut higher than the rootswell which carrys more dirt which could dull their saws?

Also, the stumps are flat. No notch, no step. It makes for some peculiar guesswork, in comparison with even a 40 year old stump where you can see saw "traditional" falling methods employed.

 

[1I'dJak]

I imagine to get above the flair, which cedars definetly have... plus they cut conventional undercuts (easier to do with the axe) and not much step from what I've seen on old stumps around here, leaving a flat stump...

 

[Humptulips]

When hand falling the undercut was put in with axes. The reason they boarded up was to get to the straight grained wood that was easier chopping. Sometimes they would be trying to get above the swell and or hollow or rotten butts but usually just to get to easier chopping. Hand cut stumps are usually flat like you say. The bottom of the undercut would be level with the ground unlike the current use of the humboldt with power saws. Very hard to do with an axe.