Joe Emel. 47. From an old logging and pioneer family here…Scandinavian origins, of course. High Climber. Arborist. Good friend. Son Joey on a full academic ride at Univ Idaho in Forestry…with a minor in Wetlands Science.
Danger tree… developing root rot and too close to the house. 52†Diameter at Breast Height (DBH)…120’ tall…already limbed and topped the hard way and a bed prepared for falling.
Face Cut…people and dogs out of the house at a safe distance…
Back Cut and Driving Wedges…that’s a falling axe for wedging the tree down in helper Billy’s hands…he’s waiting for Joe to signal him when to drive based on Joe’s “feel” on the depth and shape of the hinge neither can see, as accuracy of fall is crucial here…
Finishing Hinge as the bole tips…
Falling (I was too close and the camera shook.) Boom!
Bucking and Trimming…notice the hinge was cut fatter on the side away from the house? Think thru how the tree was wedged down (not cut down completely) and you’ll understand why. The tree could have been turned during the fall in either direction based on the shape of that hinge.
Loading for the Trip to the Mill
The tree was a disappointment…and it went to the commercial mill at the request of the owner. Construction wood. Sun-grown, rough (big knots) 100 year old second growth….4-6 rings per inch on inside and 8 rings per inch on outside. Dimensional structural lumber from the lower logs and beams from the rough upper logs.
Wasn’t a forest tree….the coastal strip here (Hood Canal in the background) was logged beginning in 1850 from the water, and the subsequent full-sun and full-wind trees are wide-ringed, pitch-pocketed and rough.
The second one we did later in the day…slightly smaller but much better…I’m moving the mill to…and will post pics in the future of milling the logs for 85-year-old Earl Johnson on shares. If you’ve never made boards starting from a standing tree, you may find it interesting.
Copyright 2003. Bob Smalser, Habitat Biologist, Sprague Pond Wildlife Refuge, Camp Union, Washington.
Replies
you're right.. i do find it interesting ... keep 'em comming
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Bob,
Good post, an enjoyable read. Looking forward to Chapter 2.
Thanks.
Nothing this interesting since "Boogering with Blue"
Outstanding entertainment.
My little saw is ashamed though.
Joe H
Bob, when can you send Joe E, down my way??, I just dropped an 65' Ponderosa Pine, just before darkthirty,today. hmmm, I just missed the main Elec. line by all of 2'. Yep, tell ol Joe E I really could use some of his knowledge. And Yes keep those pics acoming. 52" DBH wow, around here it's more like maybe 24", average,pine. Nice work in those pictures.
That thar fir weighed 30 tons, boys.....and 35 feet from the house, too....ya only get one chance to do it right.“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.Audels Carpenters and Builders Guide #1 -#41923 Theo Audel & CO. New York.
What did the falling "Bed" consist of?, and what type of cable/rope, did Joe use on that tree, and how far up was it positoned??, and what did he use to draw/pull tension on it with?? 35' from the house, hmm, a 120' tall tree, let's do the math, naw on second thought lets don't do the math. I vote we let Joe do the Math, and leave me out of it. Be safe out there Jim J
The bed for this one was mostly lawn, with slash from the limbing operation filling the holes and dips for a flat surface.
A 3/8" wire rope from a common 9000lb truck winch was rigged about 60' high in the tree aligned in the direction intended for the tree to fall as small insurance...a winch can help on the initial tilt of the wedged bole if something goes wrong but obviously isn't capable of redirecting 30 tons after it builds up a bit of momentum and speed.
The tree was falled parallel with the front of the house...the only math involved was the figuring a safe distance for the winch truck.
Safe?
You can see the safety gear on all of us...but while i'm not pooh-poohing the importance of face shields and chaps, that's all mostly eyewash as true "safe" is a thorough and objective understanding of the physics or the operation, the species of tree and nature of big wood, and most importantly...your skills or lack of them...so as to properly manage the risks.
I'm a decent faller in my own woods, although it scares my mouth dry and my palms wet every single time I do it...but under no circumstances would I attempt anything like this so close to a dwelling...that's why God gave us guys like Joe who fall these danger trees every day. The completely "safe" way out would have been to chunk this tree down in short sections, but then the owner would not have been able to offset arborists costs by selling the logs to the mill. The risks and probablilities are explained in detail, the insurance and bond verified and the owner makes the final decision on these. As you might expect, guys like Joe work mostly on referrals.
“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.
Edited 12/7/2003 3:43:19 AM ET by Bob Smalser
Bob, thanks for a well written response, with a whole lot of truth in those words of yours. Jim J
Look at the lower right log on the truck...an upper crown log...that discoloration is Phellinus weirii (Poria Root Rot )...and the crown was dying.The entire pith would have rotted in another 20 years...and then it truly would have been hazardous to take down.Bang your questionable trees hard with your falling axe and make some plunge cuts to test soundness, first....if they barber-chair on you during the face cut while you are on your knees, you may not live to meet your grandchildren.Better, smarter and safer to take the tree down and market the logs to offset the arborist costs...and also provide somebody somewhere some lumber that would have had to come from a healthy tree someplace anyway.“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.
I felled a recently dead black cherry in my backyard (a timbered draw) a few years ago. It was a very satisfying piece of work. The tree was in a standing forest and there was but one clear path to fell it into. To make the fall without snagging on nearby trees I had to make the tree start falling one way and then swing leftward. A VERY tricky cut. I eyed it up REAL careful (it was about 28" diameter and 70'or so tall). When I made the pie cut I aligned it in the initial direction to clear close trees and then I left a wedge that was significantly thicker on the left side. When the back cut began to open up I made a very quick exit along a carefully prechosen route and turned to watch. The tree did a beautiful little dance beginning her fall directly downhill and then swinging strongly to the left. I was elated at the targeting! I could've driven a stake fourty feet out with the trunk! It hit exactly where I was aiming. I had a few anxieties too as the tree was growing a bit heavy in the wrong direction. A mere breath of breeze at just the right moment may have helped! Anyway it was an exciting project. I did take one inadvisable risk by cutting the tree alone ... I should've had a watcher. If I had had a mishap it might have been many hours before I had been rescued. Big trees are beautiful things. BTW I had some experience felling large tamaracks in northern Idaho for state park barrier poles and madrone and fir and pine for firewood, so I wasn't just guessing about what I was doing.
I figure there's be more folks here who would have experience in these areas....I wrote this and my gallery on "Milling Earl's Fir" for the woodworker's forums. On those, there are no shortage of beginners who don'y have a good handle on where their boards come from or how they are made. I float these on forums as a trial balloon to figure what needs to be made more clear for the target audience...and with some folks, that's considerable...am working on a glossary.“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.
Bob, you post made me feel like my little boys watching their earthmover videos, couldn't stop reading, thanks for taking the time to present it to us.
I have a beginner tree cutting story for you. We were at my wife's grandfather's house. I looked out the back porch and saw a guy about 10' up a maybe 40' tree. It was growing in the shade so it was tall and thin. He had a cordless sawzall and was cutting the main trunk which was maybe 8-10" thick. He worked at it for more than half an hour. Finally I heard a loud crack, a big bang and the lights went out. He didn't kill himself but the tree crashed into some high tension wires at the property perimeter. One of those times when you ask yourself, "What was he thinking?"
You never know for sure...
Stated maintaining 3 ancient Salt Cedars at 14yo. 2 of these grandfathers (48" DBH) were 15' from house and 12' from fence.
These trees resemble a 60' tall bush. I kept the main trunks topped at about 12'. They would grow secondaries up to 50' taller about 6" to 12" dia 40" above main.
I learned to drop them within inches of where I wanted, turn them 90 degrees to get a side branch away from the house.
So, after 25 years of dealing with these trees, I was dropping a little 6" horizontal branch about 20' long. I had looked at it and decided a straight hinge for a straight drop will miss the power line by 6'.
Before the end of the limb had fallen 2', that sucker twisted a full 180 degrees and dropped the only side branch it had directly on the lines!
You never know for sure.
SamT
Notice the hood of my truck? Dinged a bit, eh?
Pulling down a pissant alder danger tree on my property boundary hanging over a neighbor's house using the winch thru a block at 90 degrees....tree hits another during it's fall and deflects onto the truck which wasn't quite far enuf away. We unassed the truck for sure.
Scuffed up F250 Work Truck
“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.
Bob; I'd like to see some barber chair photos. I've never had a tree do it but I've heard lots of warnings and horror stories.
The couple that have happened to me...I wasn't in the mood to record for posterity.
Beware the skinny but tall tree that's leaning a bit. Alders are the big killers here.“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.
Clearing white oak to make space for an addiiton and associated excavation. There IS something about the "dance" a falling tree makes when you get it right, and the "pop" of the hinge breaking after it has done its work, sending the trunk and limbs all the way to grade in the direction you intended.
Then there was the dead red elm in dense woods. Didn't cut a big enough wedge, tree (about 50 foot long, 12" in diameter) slowly leaned over before backcut was all the way through, hung up on next tree over...waving in the breeze.
DW and I got out of there and went accross the valley for a little cribbage on the deck. About 1/2 hour later, what a commotion as the elm came down! Answered the question, "If a tree fall in the woods when no-one is around, does it make any noise?"
Took about two cords of gormet firewood off that elm.
Johnny be careful cutting the dead ones ... back in Idaho the loggers call those "widowmakers" . They will often drop a big limb on the guy who is cutting them or sometimes they will just send their whole top down like a GIANT spear. It is doubly dangerous because with the noise of the saw and your attention riveted on your cutting zone you are very vulnerable to these insidious attacks from above. It is helpful to have a spotter watching your overhead but then they are also in the danger zone. It is better to cut them when they are just recently deceased but there are no guarantees.