Tree tricks

[hillbilly]

My boss is an excellent feller with 40 years experience.
However he never bothered learing too much of rigging
techniques which has lead him to develop some rather
strange but really cool felling techiniques.
Here is one we used on a Norway Spruce last week.
The Spruce was 70 ft and the available space 40 ft or so.
I called the technique "jackknife" since the tree folds together
in the middle. The rigging line in the top should be a bit dynamic
or if it's static, it should have a bit of slack. After the two opposite notches and felling cuts are made we just pull it down with the
cable puller. The attached image might explain better.

Maybe this is commonly known elsewhere but I've never seen
anyone else used it overhere. What other "strange" techniques
do you use?
I have another one on felling codominant maples, might illustrate
that one later, it takes some time drawing on computer...

 

[treeclimber165]

I have never considered making a notch 40' up in a tree and then descending without finishing the cut. Must be mighty risky having to make the felling cut with the top already notched above you. Just hope he never trips while exiting the area once it starts to go!

 

[kf_tree]

maybe he makes the bottom cut first..........

 

[hillbilly]

Good point Brian, but we leave enough of a hinge
on both cuts so it doesn't fall until we clear and start pulling on
the cable puller. Once the tension gets to great on the rigging
line, the top will start to fold.
I don't encourage anyone to try this, it was just such a strange
way to fell a tree that I had to share it.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've pictured the method, but never had the stones to try it.

 

[FBerkel]

It's hard to imagine being so pressed for time that he wouldn't just piece it down while he was up there; no rigging expertise required to do that.

 

[murphy4trees]

Fred,
Good point... I hadn't thought of that when I posted the below... I suppose if you have room to drop half the tree you probably have room to chunk it down... however if you have a tight opening between some other plantings or landscape structures, that is just enough to squeeze the trunk through, you might be able to get away with it. And in the above case of a large spruce, even bombing the top out could take a lot of cuts...

I love this idea.. Thanks x3...
And I wouldn't/couldn't recommend it to anybody... It is far too dangerous... Anyone that does recommend it could face serious liability issues.... Yet it is intriguing.... I love dropping trees that others would have to rig or crane down.
So I may try it under these conditions.
1. I own my business. therefore my personal actions are not regulated by OSHA... correct me if that's not true..
2. I will practice on small trees.. less than 25' with a wide open drop zone
3. I will most likely only use this technique in situations where there are property items of low value at risk and I will inform the homeowner of the technique and its risks.
4. I will reduce the risk of personal injury by doing some combination of the following:
a) Guy top of tree with 3 guy lines before making the top notch and/or use a back release hinge and perhaps descend (after cutting back strap) by using the pull line of lower section as a controlled zip line, thereby keeping me from having to descend down trunk.
b) Secure top of tree by tying it off top just below upper hinge, so butt of top of tree must stay with top of lower section of tree. And make top notch higher than half way up tree.
c) Have a clear 45* escape route and a spotter
d) make sure tree has sound wood and I Am familiar with the characteristics of the wood fiber for setting up a correct hinge.
e) Use a back release hinge set up with a taut pull line for final felling cut, and evacuate area before actually pulling the tree over.
f) Make sure all height and distance measurements are correct and carefully calculate potential drop zone.
g) Use proper PPE
What makes a technique like this particularly dangerous is the unknown... Yet I can imagine certain scenarios where using this technique might actually be safer than rigging a tree down.
It may be years before I run across a tree where "jackknifing" is appropriate.. Or I could look at the tree tomorrow.
As you can see... this post has got my mind doing somersaults... I Am already thinking about what it would take jackknife a tree in 3 sections....
So I share these thoughts with you to invite your feedback.... Can you think of anything I haven't here...? And again I Am NOT recommending this to anyone.
Thanks and God Bless,
Daniel

 

[treeman82]

I could have used this like 2 years ago when trying to remove a rotten maple tree in a dog pen. There was only about 1" of sound wood at the bottom of a 12" diameter tree. After about 15 feet off the ground it was WAY too rotten to climb. Getting a crane in was not possible, nor was a bucket truck. There were no trees in the area I could have descended from. This probably would have worked at that time. However I would have needed another person.. and several other ropes. The tree was probably 30' tops in height.

 

[treeist]

If I had that much room to place all that rigging and such for this job I could climb it and piece it out, and fell the stick befor the rigging could be set up. I have seen more arborists who over think and over rig. Sometimes its better just to keep it simple rather than trying out the latest idea.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Sometimes it is better to freefall small peices, but manytime rigging big will save time and effort on the ground.

Many times I have seen old school guys waste time in the cleanup because the could get the tree on the ground fast.

It all depnds on how you are comfortable working.

 

[hillbilly]

"It's hard to imagine being so pressed for time that he wouldn't just piece it down while he was up there"

Fred, we try not to work under time press and we didn't do so
this time either, we just try to find the most effective solutions
for every job.

"If I had that much room to place all that rigging and such for this job I could climb it and piece it out, and fell the stick befor the rigging could be set up."

Treeist, sure every tree and situation is different and so is
the skills of every feller, arborist, worker. It was the first time I
saw this technique which pretty much reflects how often it
could be used. If 'we' would have pieced it definately would
have taken more time and effort.

The nice thing about it was the two pieces came down so
slow and gentle, no small pieces bumping around hitting
bushes and fences.

JPS pretty much summed it up with his reply too.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

This a GREAT idea! There are plenty of variations that can be used within very narrow parameters. As a person's skills and knowledge increase they can take on more jobs safely. We all started out crawling before we were able to go up and down stairs two at a time.

Using static lines for specialized felling is an area that gets little attention.

Back in "the Day", when I attended my first Arbor Expo ( How many go back that far, '86 in Philly?) I was literally on the edge of my seat watching the show. The speaker was really animated and fun to watch. Ropes all over...Pulleys..winches...slings...speed lines...this was too cool. Blair said something in that talk that's stuck with me. By following proper rigging protocols we can eliminate chain saw cuts in the tree. Every cut we eliminate reduces our exposure to an injury. The Jacknife Technique puts the tree on the ground with two face cuts and two back cuts. Pretty effecient.

I can think of one particular job where this technique might have eliminated the death of a friend.

Hillbilly, do you have any other techniques like this to share?

Tom

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I think this idea is a bad one, only because I didn't think of it.

 

[Eric E.]

Isn't this the same or similar technique to the one Graeme posted somewhere?

If the top notch was bore cut and left with a good strap it would be safer possilbly.

 

[rwilk]

Looks pretty cool, don't know if I would try it, but if you all thought it to be safe then OK. It's your life always remember that. I have had guy try to dare me or challenge me to things that were just too unsafe for my risking ( and I've jumped out of airplanes.)

Cool idea though. Good job.

just my thoughts
rwilk

 

[hillbilly]

2 in 1

Ok, here is another one we used on two maples, not codminant
but equal sized and growing away from each other.
There were no good anchor points (other trees) to setup
a wire puller. If there would have been, using the puller probably
would have been a better solution.
Again this technique requires a good amout of "feeling" for
the forces in a falling tree and the holding potential of a hinge.
Luckily, my boss seems has this "feeling", experience.
The rigging line connecting the two trees probably needs to be
a bit dynamic to reduce the shock when the second tree cathes
on in the fall.
Naming this one the 2 in 1 techinque for the time being.
Is there already a name for this technique ?

 

[hillbilly]

Thanks for all the input everyone!
By posting these techniques, I hope to receive
some constructive critisism and possible improvements.
I also realize the risk of posting. If you don't feel
100% confident with using them, then don't.

When I first started out dragging brush and saw my
boss felling a large birch exaclty between bushes,
fences and god knows what, I was so impressed.
-Wow, it really came down exactly where you wanted it, I told him.
-Well if was unsure, I had no business felling this tree in the first place.
A bit rough, but basically this holds for any technique, if you
don't master it, wait to used it "live" until you do.

Best intentions / hillbilly

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I'm not too hot on the 2 in one, too many variables and not enough control. Similar objection to vehiclular pull, but stronger.

Seems to me that from a cleanup POV it would be easier to pull them over sperately.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Another good one.
I have done this, sort of, without ropes when dropping two trees whose branches are tangled together.
Below I've added a second rope and a brake, to give more control to this tecnique.

 

[treeist]

That is a cool idea I might try it out sometime