Tree Removal Feedback

[ArborView]

The other day I took down a spruce tree for a customer-20" dbh, about 50-60' tall. This is the way I did it: I climbed to about 10-15' from the top, just using the branches with a laynard, no spikes. Then I set my climbing line and a bull rope. I descended down and starting dropping branches from the bottom up until I was about 10' from my ropes. Then I brought my climbing line down and retied in. I notched the top and made a backcut leaving a pretty beefy hinge. The diameter was probably around 10" at this point. Then I descended to the ground on the backcut side of the tree and pulled the top over to the ground with the bull rope. Then from the ground I replaced my climbing rope with the bull rope and cut and pulled over the remaining trunk. There was enough room in the direction I dropped the tree, but the house was on the other side, which is why I did the top and trunk using a rope, just in case.
I am just curious about a couple of things:
1. I don't have a whole lot of experience with removals, so does the way I did it seem logical and efficient?
2. What do you guys usually do for face cuts when cutting out a top. I did a wide cut, shaped like this <. It seems to me that this would result in less catapulting of the trunk when it falls, even though I pulled it over from the ground. Also, I left a pretty thick hinge-enough so the top would stay put while I descended but also not so much that I couldn't pull it over.
It took me about 6 hours to do this job which included stacking the brush, and cutting the trunk up into sizeable pieces so the owner could handle them. I also had to contend with a service line and a telephone line on either side of the tree along with snowy branches.
Any feedback or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[monkeypuzzle]

CRAZY as HELL!!!!!

 

[ArborView]

Can you elaborate on that a little?

 

[buckkillr8]

How Bout "thank God there was no damage!"

 

[treeclimber165]

You did this by yourself without a groundman? If I read that part correctly, you MUST be crazy!
Other than that MAJOR mistake, your methods seem reasonable.


(part 2) After reading a couple other posts, I just realized you cut your notches and then repelled or climbed down the tree! Once you start a cut and back cut it, you better hang around until the cut is finished! NEVER leave a cut AND back cut, then climb down the tree! WOW, better lucky than good I guess! Thank God it worked THIS time!

 

[Tree Critter]

Cut the notch, put a block and sling under it, run the bull rope through, tie a secure clove hitch onto the butt above the notch. The other end of the bull rope goes around a bollard or other friction device at the base of the tree where your ground man can control the fall. Then make your back cut and let it fall. I wouldn't EVER make both cuts and exit the tree. I know you thought the remaining wood would hold the top in place untill you got away, but what if the wind picked up? I wouldn't want to be half way down and hear the cracking up above my head and look up to see the top comeing down at me. Even if it did come down on the notch side with me on the back side and I didn't get snagged by a branch (or my climb line either) I would at least have to clean out my pants when I got down. Of coarse if your climb line was in the top, you would have a rough ride down!!! Don't trust that the top will hold with that little bit of wood holding it. I would like to see more posts from you, and not have you become another statistic.

 

[treeman82]

I had done a poplar tree kind of the same way last winter. Went up about 20 feet, 25 feet. Cut out a branch or two. Tied a rope up there about 40 feet. Came down to 20, had about 35 - 40 above me still. Had the owner there with me who has lots of experience doing tree work. He had me cut the notch, then do a back cut slightly and come down. We did a rope come along and pulled the 40' top out into his yard. The only thing on the back side of the tree was a few maples and a driveway. Worked pretty good, should have cut a bit deeper though. I really would not suggest this if you have any obstacles around you that are not negotiable. Get your pulley set up as well as a tag line and lower the top out of there. I am also in western Mass, I only go to school here though. Feel free to send me a PM if you need a ground man every once in a while.

 

[monkeypuzzle]

Which of you guys are doing removals on a daily basis?

 

[treeclimber165]

I haven't in the last 18 months, but before that I was doing removals usually 3-4 days per week (trimming on the other days) for about 12 years. Used cranes, fancy expensive equipment or just a couple ropes, saws and wheelbarrow. I'm nowhere near being the best at what I do (did), but I am more than qualified I think.

 

[Joe]

1 technique that could have been used to avoid the risk of having the top break the hinge while descending from the tree is place a wedge and sledge in the back cut to tip the top while the final cut is finished with a hand saw.

Joe

 

[treeman82]

All I really do is removals and complicated trimming such as stuff that is over lines / houses / fences / etc. I leave the detailed pruning to a climber who I call every now and again for that stuff.

 

[UrbanEarth]

Joe, I am missing your meaning. How can you use a hand saw to finish the cut if you are on the ground?

Alan

 

[ArborView]

OK, I see all of your points. The only reason I cut the top the way I did was because of several things: There was a rope tied to the top which was then run to a pulley at the base of a big pine tree. Then the rope was tied to my truck and the rope was pulled "taught", not tight, just enough to take the slack out but enough to prevent it from going where I didn't want it; also there was absolutely no wind that day; the house was far enough away that the top would have cleared it anyways. But thanks for all your feedback. This is the first time I did it this way only because I thought it would be safer to pull a top from the ground than being in the tree when it went over. But now I understand the danger involved in doing what i did.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Another thing that can happen which may sound unlikely (but I could tell a story if I had more time), that you should not have done, is climb a tree that has a rope tied to it and a truck (add the sound of a truck being started and put into drive by an unobservant, earmuffed, groundman here).

 

[Joe]

When doing the removal, the climber worked his way up the tree. He stripped the limbs from the trunk leaving the top, which was to be removed before felling the trunk. When the climber faced his undercut, then made his back cut, he could have finished removing the top instead of coming out of the tree. The climber added a risk to himself with the threat of the top breaking the hinge before he could get away from the tree. Following the flow of the thread, which warns against this sort of practice, it was recommended a sledge and wedge be used to finish the cut while the climber was still in a safer position to remove the top. The wedge could be 1 of the plastic types which has very little weight. The sledge could be a tree felling bar which can also be used to drive wedges into the kerf or back cut. Considering this is an option that can be used for future reference, I would recommend using a sledge and wedge to remove the top while finishing the final cut using a hand saw.

Joe

 

[monkeypuzzle]

I top tall pines all the time while i'm still in the tree. It would be a lie to say I wasn't scared 80% of the time but I get a kick out of it.If the tree is near the house,wires,etc,I wil just go higher into the tree and piece it out with a 200ft arbor plex,I will spend more time in the tree,but saftey first right.If you use a pully system to lower the top,be SURE your groundie knows that he should not let the top come to a sudden stop.Talk about a wild ride,which could be your last. We are all tree guys playing and working in trees.Some would rather inject a tree with chemicals while others would rather ride around in a truck acting important.Thats fine and I know for a FACT that I can do that or learn in a very short period of time.But,when it comes to the removal of a large tree in a small working space these importants will NEVER step up to the plate unless it's in their blood to do so. Climbing and working with a chainsaw at the same time is not for everyone.


If we all did the same thing nothing would ever get done.MP