Another monster ash falls victim to the saw......

[ScotO]

Past couple evenings we removed a big ash for a guy in the neighboring town....it was the same tree that we removed a large broken branch from this spring.....well, it lost two more of it's large branches and had to go...

It had a twisting lean towards the house, so I had to climb up about 35 feet and top both remaining crown branches off of it....




Pics below are of the tops off, and of the one big snapped limb (the pic with the 40' ladder in it). That huge limb was laying in two Bradford pear trees, ended up having to hack them up pretty good too, as that limb snapped the top out of one and lots of branches out of both of them....You can see my working partners in the pic loading branches, one is in the trailer giving it a good "tamp-down".... Ended up hauling 3 HEAPING trailer loads of branches off of the site.



The old 041AV Super is wearing a 28" bar for comparison.
Had to noodle some of the butt pieces.....made 'em easier to load!



All in all, we got three heaping truckloads of wood out of the tree. I'd say around a cord. Gave it all to my buddy, he's got some catching up to do if he wants a stack in his backyard like mine!

 

[Shadow&Flame]

Sure hate to see so many of the big guys go down... The Red oaks around here are dying at an alarming rate. The biggest oak I have
seen has died at my BIL place...thing is about 5-6' thru the middle and the bark is falling off. Damn I hate to see them go.

Good that the old girl will serve to keep ya warm.

 

[ScotO]

Sure hate to see so many of the big guys go down... The Red oaks around here are dying at an alarming rate. The biggest oak I have
seen has died at my BIL place...thing is about 5-6' thru the middle and the bark is falling off. Damn I hate to see them go.

Good that the old girl will serve to keep ya warm.

yeah, I hate cutting mature trees too. But you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. This tree was at the end of it's rope. The tops were dying, and it was hollowed out at the main crotch 25' up. The trunk, for the most part, was still in great shape. But the tops were all snapping off due to the rot at the crotch. I checked it over really good and didn't see any of the signature "D" shaped holes that the Emerald Ash Borer makes.....this one just had other health issues.

 

[Woody Stover]

The Red oaks around here are dying at an alarming rate. The biggest oak I have
seen has died at my BIL place...thing is about 5-6' thru the middle and the bark is falling off. Damn I hate to see them go.

The Reds here took a hit, too. I'm guessing it's due to the drought last year.
I was going to "like" your post, but I don't like it.

 

[Shadow&Flame]

yeah, I hate cutting mature trees too. But you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. This tree was at the end of it's rope. The tops were dying, and it was hollowed out at the main crotch 25' up. The trunk, for the most part, was still in great shape. But the tops were all snapping off due to the rot at the crotch. I checked it over really good and didn't see any of the signature "D" shaped holes that the Emerald Ash Borer makes.....this one just had other health issues.

I know it has to be done and keep up the good work... Its strange to have such mixed feelings when cutting down the big ones...you like that you got
all the free wood, but its sure sad to see them go. It will be a long time before any of the little guys get that big...

Be careful out there...

 

[Shadow&Flame]

The Reds here took a hit, too. I'm guessing it's due to the drought last year.
I was going to "like" your post, but I don't like it.

Know the feeling....

 

[HDRock]

Besides screwing around with the brush, That looks like some real FUN , right there

 

[bogydave]

Bet it take the owner a while to get used to the tree being gone.
Tree that size provided a lot of shade for many years.
It was smart to get it down before MN did it for him.

 

[HDRock]

Bet it take the owner a while to get used to the tree being gone.
Tree that size provided a lot of shade for many years.
It was smart to get it down before MN did it for him.

Yep I had 4 big ash next to my pole barn that died, with me for 21 years, I'm still not used to them being gone

 

[ScotO]

Bet it take the owner a while to get used to the tree being gone.
Tree that size provided a lot of shade for many years.
It was smart to get it down before MN did it for him.

Yes, but he was ecstatic with the results....
We cut another big ash down last year for him, literally a day before Sandy pounded us. That tree was a dead ash, nearly the size of the one in these pics, and it would have ended up smashing right through his house. I did a thread on that last October....

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/kickin-some-ash-before-the-storm.93023/

 

[ScotO]

Besides screwing around with the brush, That looks like some real FUN , right there

Oh trust me...I enjoy climbing and topping those trees. We had an audience with this one, I think they enjoyed watching too!
But, that said, I sure wish I had a chipper and dump truck.....sure would make the job a lot easier...

 

[chvymn99]

Oh trust me...I enjoy climbing and topping those trees. We had an audience with this one, I think they enjoyed watching too!
But, that said, I sure wish I had a chipper and dump truck.....sure would make the job a lot easier...

Yea, getting rid of that brush takes a lot of the fun out of it. I'm finding that out with the mulberries that I'm taking out for the neigbor. Haven't figured out whether to burn them or chipper them yet.

 

[HDRock]

Yea, getting rid of that brush takes a lot of the fun out of it. I'm finding that out with the mulberries that I'm taking out for the neigbor. Haven't figured out whether to burn them or chipper them yet.

BURN em

 

[Paulywalnut]

Past couple evenings we removed a big ash for a guy in the neighboring town....it was the same tree that we removed a large broken branch from this spring.....well, it lost two more of it's large branches and had to go...

It had a twisting lean towards the house, so I had to climb up about 35 feet and top both remaining crown branches off of it....


View attachment 106980 View attachment 106973 View attachment 106974

Pics below are of the tops off, and of the one big snapped limb (the pic with the 40' ladder in it). That huge limb was laying in two Bradford pear trees, ended up having to hack them up pretty good too, as that limb snapped the top out of one and lots of branches out of both of them....You can see my working partners in the pic loading branches, one is in the trailer giving it a good "tamp-down".... Ended up hauling 3 HEAPING trailer loads of branches off of the site.

View attachment 106975 View attachment 106976 View attachment 106978

The old 041AV Super is wearing a 28" bar for comparison.
Had to noodle some of the butt pieces.....made 'em easier to load!

View attachment 106977 View attachment 106979

All in all, we got three heaping truckloads of wood out of the tree. I'd say around a cord. Gave it all to my buddy, he's got some catching up to do if he wants a stack in his backyard like mine!

I know you know to be extra careful, ladders and trees don't mix too good

 

[ScotO]

I know you know to be extra careful, ladders and trees don't mix too good

I only use ladders when absolutely necessary. The branch that.the ladder was resting on was snapped and laying in two Bradford pear tops. I went up that ladder with my polesaw and cut all the smaller limbs off of the pears and the broken ash branch.

When climbing the trees, I use a harness and gaffs, eventually will be using rope ascenders.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I only use ladders when absolutely necessary. The branch that.the ladder was resting on was snapped and laying in two Bradford pear tops. I went up that ladder with my polesaw and cut all the smaller limbs off of the pears and the broken ash branch.

When climbing the trees, I use a harness and gaffs, eventually will be using rope ascenders.

Great!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That looked like a nasty tree to get down and will probably be a bit nasty to split too because of the twists.

The sooner you get the rope ascenders, the better. I think Bailey's might be having a sale now or maybe that one is past. Don't remember.

 

[save$]

yeah, I hate cutting mature trees too. But you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. This tree was at the end of it's rope. The tops were dying, and it was hollowed out at the main crotch 25' up. The trunk, for the most part, was still in great shape. But the tops were all snapping off due to the rot at the crotch. I checked it over really good and didn't see any of the signature "D" shaped holes that the Emerald Ash Borer makes.....this one just had other health issues.

To me, having a tree near that can fall and damage my home or family isn't worth the risk. We get high winds from thunder and ocean storms that have taken down maples, oaks and whatever is high up so nothing is safe next to a house. Takes a real skill to know how to take down a tree, stay safe, and not damage property in the area. I can't think of a more dangerous job.
.

 

[Jacktheknife]

That's why we had to take down the two giant red maples in my front yard a couple years ago. I didn't have the lopi yet, but my brother was more than happy to drag it all across the street. The entire street we live on is line with these things, I got about 1/4 of my neighbors tree when it came down in a wind storm this spring. I have a feeling we will be burning a lot of red map,e in the next few years.

 

[Ashful]

Nicely done, Scotty!