Leaner - Would you or wouldn't you?

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Oregon Bigfoot

Oregon Bigfoot

Feeling the Heat
May 21, 2011
271
Northwest Oregon
I have a friend that owns a house in Jefferson, OR. He has very large, maybe 90 foot tall leaner oak tree, about 28-30 inches at the base, that has busted about 7 foot up the trunk. The tree is leaning against another large tree. It's on a hillside, and very hard to get a truck nearby it. You can get down hill of it, maybe 50 yards close with a truck, but really, no closer, due to a sharp slope. See the two pics I have of it.

Would you have cut it down or would you have left it? If you would have cut it, how would you do it? By the way, I decided to leave it alone for the wind to knock it over. The pics were taken in April, and the tree is still hung up, and has not fallen, even in the heavy wind storm we had last night and today. I know it will fall eventually, but it's hung up pretty good. The pics do not do justice.

My thoughts were to get a long rope, and pull it over with my truck, but then again, that would have to be done the direction the tree is leaning - downhill.

Oregon Bigfoot
 

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Is there any way to safely get a cable or chain on it and help it down with a come-a-long? I always bring one when I'm cutting in the woods in case I get one hung up.
 
My cabin is at the top of a rocky ridge and there are probably 6-8 leaners like that, varying sizes, within 75 feet. I have no intention of trying to take them down myself, just because it doesn't seem to be worth the risk. If they come down, they'll either blow down or I'll have a professional do it. The only benefit would be aesthetic. My perspective, for what it's worth.
 
I would let mother nature do her thing, risk/reward ratio and all.
 
If there is no other reason to take it down (ie. chance of damaged property unless it is felled) I would leave that for Mother Nature to blow over........

Too many variables you can't control on that one in my humble opinion.
 
I would take it down in a heart beat with a come along or something similar, nothing dangerous about that IMHO and I am way more chicken than I used to be. Nice picture BTU, wonder what the wife is doing. :cheese:
 
don't really have an opinion on the original question, just wanted to state that your pictures are very cool--especially the second one--though it makes the whole situation look so ominous that cutting that tree might be some sort of evil endeavor against all of arbordom.
 
pull it down.


BTW- that lady seems like a fine American.
 
Oregon Bigfoot said:
I have a friend that owns a house in Jefferson, OR. He has very large, maybe 90 foot tall leaner oak tree, about 28-30 inches at the base, that has busted about 7 foot up the trunk. The tree is leaning against another large tree. It's on a hillside, and very hard to get a truck nearby it. You can get down hill of it, maybe 50 yards close with a truck, but really, no closer, due to a sharp slope. See the two pics I have of it.

Would you have cut it down or would you have left it? If you would have cut it, how would you do it? By the way, I decided to leave it alone for the wind to knock it over. The pics were taken in April, and the tree is still hung up, and has not fallen, even in the heavy wind storm we had last night and today. I know it will fall eventually, but it's hung up pretty good. The pics do not do justice.

My thoughts were to get a long rope, and pull it over with my truck, but then again, that would have to be done the direction the tree is leaning - downhill.

Oregon Bigfoot
Click to expand...

This is a classic case of a widow maker.

The biggest key to me is that it has broken 7' up which means that unless you are a very tall person, that break is over your head. Second big key is that it wants to fall down a steep slope and that is where you have to have the truck or whatever you use to take it down. A pro can do it but I'm betting he would have special equipment to do it with too. In the woods, we'd have just used the skidder to push it down that that is not an option here. I say leave it to Mother Nature. It may take time but it will come down and as long as it poses no special risks of harm to anyone, leave it to Nature.
 
You can use a block to redirect your pull, so it is pulled down where it wants to go....that would be very safe and almost easy.
 
Oregon Bigfoot said:
I have a friend that owns a house in Jefferson, OR. He has very large, maybe 90 foot tall leaner oak tree, about 28-30 inches at the base, that has busted about 7 foot up the trunk. The tree is leaning against another large tree. It's on a hillside, and very hard to get a truck nearby it. You can get down hill of it, maybe 50 yards close with a truck, but really, no closer, due to a sharp slope. See the two pics I have of it.

Would you have cut it down or would you have left it? If you would have cut it, how would you do it? By the way, I decided to leave it alone for the wind to knock it over. The pics were taken in April, and the tree is still hung up, and has not fallen, even in the heavy wind storm we had last night and today. I know it will fall eventually, but it's hung up pretty good. The pics do not do justice.

My thoughts were to get a long rope, and pull it over with my truck, but then again, that would have to be done the direction the tree is leaning - downhill.

Oregon Bigfoot
Click to expand...


If that second picture was better we could see whats going on with the top, it almost looks like mother nature would take it down.


zap
 
bpirger said:
You can use a block to redirect your pull, so it is pulled down where it wants to go....that would be very safe and almost easy.
Click to expand...

+1 - dead man to a tree downhill pull from above. Cheers!
 
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