What would you do, is this safe?

[TimberMcPherson]

My mate Paul and I have been contract climbing for TreesR and we came across a job which looked like had been done by builders. The work site is on an EXTREMELY steep hill which has little sizable vegitation aside from these 25 year old pinus radiata. 400 feet down at the bottom of the hill (just a chog roll away) is a million dollar house right on the seafront.

I was amazed to learn that I have known the guy that left these this way for years, he taught me to climb and has his own arborist company, but he says that he thinks these are safe. They have there top heads still intact which are not good braces as they crown upwards. They are resting on a few minor (9 inch dbh) trees and as you can seen the stump is holding sfa. The owner isnt sure but trusts his contractor. earthquakes are pretty common here, and the tree is actually not straight on the stump but about 8 inches to one side.

I dont think these is even close to safe,Im probably going to but rope it myself with a 20mm steel cable, but what else should I do? Take photos to the rich people down the hill, piss my mate of further by dragging him to the job site again? Man this has to potential to kill someone and im shocked (as are 3 other arborists) at my mates attitude.

 

[blue]

timber,
i read your post as that is how you found the tree's,am i correct?

 

[rumination]

I can't really see the whole hillside to get an idea of the context, but from your description I'd have to say that is really...


NOT SAFE!!

 

[MasterBlaster]

Someone threw the tree, and then left it?

 

[Stumper]

Mac, I'd like to get a better perspective of the hillside but if the crowns are still in place and they are lying pretty much straight up the hill then there probably isn't much risk.:angel:

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Yep they are in the photo as I found them, they are just sitting there. The hillside is STEEP, the tree is in contact with the ground further up, as you can see from upright to fallen it didnt have to go far. Below is is nothing but hillside, bush and 5 story house.

heres a closer look at the stump, small scarf!

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Heres Paul (my climbing partner) about 50foot up one of the pines we are taking down, I dont have a zoom and am able to look at him pretty close from standing further up the hill.
(been trying for hours to make pictures smaller but am useless at this kinda stuff!)

 

[TimberMcPherson]

bad pic but......

okay last pic, this is looking down the tree barrel, the background is white but you can see a double line horizontal in it which is the side of the road below and the other shape slightly below that is the roof of the house underneath.

That higher green colour is kelp in the sea!

keep in mind this is one of about 5 trees up there.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Forgot pic!

The top of the canopy is intact but sweeps upwards so I would think that would offer little resistance to it sliding butt first. You have to half crawl on the hillside. I wouldnt sleep living below it myself.

A chog got loose on our job, it was about double the size of a soup can and I heard it go bouncing just about all the way down the hill, busting through the undergrowth like a gutshot pig.

I just dont know where to go from here, its not safe, even if some of its canopy is holding it, they are going to rot and let go well before the barrel is gone.

 

[treeman82]

What's at the top of the hill? Could you get a 4x4 truck up there?

 

[Stumper]

I don't want to dismiss potential hazards lightly, but the dynamics of bouncing a section of log down a hill are very different from sticking an entire tree on a slope. I've "laid in" trees as erosion mitigation on a slope that I could NOT walk on (I was working on rope the whole operation.) An entire tree tends to preclude rolling and is hard to get "overcenter" to develop/maintain any momentum. Once the thing settles in it gets more and more difficult to dislodge.:angel:

 

[MasterBlaster]

Man, that looks like a big can of worms to me!

And a chance to make some unusual bucks!

 

[wiley_p]

Is the tree parallel with the slope? Got a picture of the top of the tree? It's sitting there now, If it ain't moved much yet, maybe it won't hard to tell but it looked like it was jammed on the stump a bit, too bad the guy didn't have a bit higher backcut. Was it possible to quarter the tree down the hill?

 

[NeTree]

This is one of those occasions a large open-faced notch should have been made, with the back-cut 2-3 inches above the apex of the notch.

 

[glens]

... Humboldt style.

 

[NeTree]

Incorrect.

You'd definitely want the attachment. In a Humboldt, you wouldn't get the flexibility in the hinge required.

An open-faced (Read that as REAL open-faced notch) would.

 

[glens]

I'll bite.  Why would the flexibility (have to) be different?  And the flatter bottom of the stem would be even more of a deterrent from sliding should it separate from the better-formed-chock of a stump.

Glen

BTW, thanks for the help with that video!

 

[NeTree]

Because you wouldn't get the "peel" with a Humboldt.

Also, with a Humboldt, it would most likely break from the stump.


{I figured you'd like that. Did you get all of it or just the first pieces?}

 

[a_lopa]

Originally posted by netree
This is one of those occasions a large open-faced notch should have been made, with the back-cut 2-3 inches above the apex of the notch.

yes and the pine left,they rot away very quickly anyhow,why not just cable it to the stump? cheaper than getting it out.go the wallabys!

 

[TimberMcPherson]

I thought the choice of scarf wasnt at all what you would want in that situation, Nice big open one but not so deep, the tree didnt have to go far on the hinge so it should have helped hold it there.
either that or notch the stump so when the tree falls its more locked in place.

I think this job is a case of the owner (the house above the trees, not in there potential flight path) wanting the cheapest job possible, didnt want to pay for removal. My mate has done whats asked but I dont think what has been left is acceptable. I have a fair idea about stability of trees on steep country but this is REALLY steep. Chogs dont just roll down this one, they bounce.

There is pretty good access above, a small crane could pull them out, might approach the owner. I really dont want to do clean up after somebody elses job as it would be more risky than doing it from start. But heck, thats arboriculture.