Rotten Tree Felling

[slowp]

That faller is the Madsen's model? The one you mentioned a few months ago?

Yup. He does the scary stuff. Learned from his dad, who is in their photo gallery as one of the great fallers. He and a brother did a Stihl commercial in the 80s.

 

[newmexico]

good stuff

Thanks for the Pictures Slowp.

Doug-fir.... Snag... they get funny sometimes,

Short, fat, straight up, punky, still heavy. nothing holding it up but the bark-- cut the bark and it comes down as fast as a controlled demolition of a concrete building; sometimes in the same manner.

I'm leaving that cutting up to the experts..

 

[young bucker]

i have fell massive stands of rotten pine trees, mainly pine beetle.i found if you have a big shot with a good 8 oz bean bag,try and shoot a 3rd of the way up and use a running bowline to get her tied off, if you don't have the equipment the i strongly recommend creating a huge landing hole for all the rotten or ##### pines your taking out. i wouldn't suggest you do it alone man, those things are brittle,if you have one cut up and if you can set a wedge, and its standing up try and use a pike pole to finish it off. above what i have just mentioned works very well on lodge pole pines or jack pines, ponderosas are a very different story, take it easy look up and live, i have a habit of using over powered felling saws for snag felling,with a good 30 inch bar. good luck

 

[ChrisF]

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/72269.htm#post1080148

Uh... did that tree sorta just... explode?

 

[Gologit]

Uh... did that tree sorta just... explode?

Sometimes it seems like that. Some of those old snags are almost like a stovepipe, just a thin rind of good wood around the outside and completely punky inside.

I don't know if "explode" is exactly the right word or not but I've had some come apart on me that I really can't describe any other way.

 

[ChrisF]

Sounds like a whole lot of no f'in fun!

 

[Gologit]

Sounds like a whole lot of no f'in fun!

It goes with the job. Usually pays pretty good, too.

 

[slowp]

It certainly looked like the butt exploded. The top held though. The snag had been there for a number of years, along a busy county road, lots of schoolbusses taking groups of kids to a camp.

Finally, action was taken. I wasn't there, but I did see his two escape routes which he cut out. They were immaculate. I think he anticipated having to move fast.

I was helping (carrying his axe) a different faller dump some hazard trees last November and was out of the way. We saw a tall fir snag fold up. We didn't know if the faller survived. When things settled enough, I ran over. He was shaken up as he said he got complacent and almost didn't make it out of the way fast enough. He's a younger, very competent faller too. After that, he was more alert for such things.

Earlier, I'd been at a tree base with him and things whipped around pretty good. Limbs flying and one leaner had to be glanced off another tree. I was glad I had a sturdy hardhat on.

He's on my list of safe fallers...safe to be around.

 

[ChrisF]

It goes with the job. Usually pays pretty good, too.

I understand.

It's not something for a rookie like me to tackle, though.