The Mother of All Widow Makers

I took a pickup truck load of wood from this water oak today. This huge tree is resting on half a dozen limbs, any one of which could be the kingpin. I was afraid to cut into any of the fingers holding this mother up so I was happy to take anything that was not load bearing. To gauge how big this thing is... if you'll notice in the lower left you can see some limbs that are cut off. I reached high over my head to cut these so those cuts were at least seven feet up. I guess the high point of this thing was at least 15 feet high, where the break from the main trunk occurred. I'll wait until one of these days when one of the fingers gives way and the whole thing comes down.

Rats, I don't know why the embedded photo didn't work.

(okay, edited the original and got the picture to work. Don't see a way to delete this one.)

I was with my buddy. We both had our saws but watched out for each other while we were cutting. It was like working in the Devil's cage. Man, there is a lot of good, straight wood there but we can't touch it. I love Water oak. The grain is straight up and down on those long logs. I got a pickup truck load of mostly four and five inchers with a lot of uglies, Ys, etc. I did get a dozen or so bucks of 12 to 14 inchers. The tree is on a 600 acre ranch that is managed by a good friend. He just bulldozes downed trees into a low spot and has told me to help myself. He doesn't burn and the ranch is only a holiday getaway place for a Georgia family. There is a lifetime of wood there that was blown down in summer storms over the past two years. Still good and green, not punky and rotten. Mostly Hickory and Oaks.
He's got a really big tractor out there. Maybe I can get him to pull that thing down for me sometime. Those supporting limbs are really spread out so it won't be easy to just chain it up and tip it to one side.
I'll let you know if I'm ever able to get it.

What I CAN do is go back and get the main trunk, which is still standing. I'm guessing it's about 12 feet tall, straight as can be. Maybe 30 inch diameter. Perhaps it's time to invest in bigger bar. I only have a 16 incher on my Stihl 390.

By the way, just a couple of days ago I hand sharpened this chain. First time I've ever done my own chain. I'm rather proud of myself. The saw cut like a champ through all that green oak, then I brought it home and noodled some of those big ugly Ys. THEN I went back in my own woods and cut up a hickory top that fell earlier this Autumn. Green hickory is mighty hard wood but the chain was still throwing big slivers of wood up til the time I shut it off.

It's been a good day. Think I deserve another beer.

PJF1313 said:

Chain/rope and pull it down? (can't tell if it's still attached to the main trunk)

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PJ, look at the upper right corner of the picture. that's where this giant top broke off of the main trunk.

basswidow said:

Heck man, don't leave that good wood. It looks easy to me. Shoot, I bet you could push that thing over with one hand.

Put a rope on it and pull it over to the right or back toward the trunk and stand it back up some. I'd have that cut up in no time.

Click to expand...

I wish it was that easy. The big break in the upper right corner of the photo is close to 20 feet up. There are at least six very large limbs solidly planted into the ground and they are holding this thing up like a giant hand formed into a claw, the figures of which are spread in an arc of over 180 degrees. You can't tell so much in the picture but there are three big limbs spreading out to the right.
Ain't nobody pulling this thing over by hand. I do believe my buddies big tractor will do it, though.

There is probably three years of firewood in that tree for my moderate burning needs in Texas.

billb3 said:

There's a good chance one or more of those branches have speared the ground rather well, too.
Sometimes it's not obvious how well (far).
Fractured limbs are a concern, too as they're not always obvious either.

That really is huge if that cut is 7 feet off the ground.


I wouldn't be comfortable whittling away at it until it was rolled over.

Click to expand...

The lower of those two cuts on the left is at least seven feet above the ground. I am 5'11". I was holding the saw well above my head with the bar almost straight up.

Any one of those supporting finger/limbs could be THE ONE to bring the whole thing down if it gives. I'm not touching it again until it falls on it's own or until we can somehow pull it over with a tractor.