Cut up a nasty one yesterday......

[ScotO]

Had a client call with an emergency take-down late last week. He had a 28" diameter 60' red maple in his backyard that had a spiralling split in it. I stopped over to check it out (even though I ain't done with my living room project quite yet) and see what the story was with the tree. Well, upon looking at it, it had a PILE of problems. I determined that the tree was struck by lightning many years ago (if you've ever seen a lightning struck tree, alot of times they get a spiralling wound down the entirety of the trunk right into the ground). This tree had that, and it was totally hollowed out to boot! This led the tree to twist and flex over the years, and that healed-over spiral wound eventually split open, and led to one of the most unstable trees I ever dropped......



Ended up dropping two red maples, still have two more big ones to do for him in a week or so. I'll end up with around 3 cord or so of red maple from this job. Feels good to get back at it!!

 

[thewoodlands]

Had a client call with an emergency take-down late last week. He had a 28" diameter 60' red maple in his backyard that had a spiralling split in it. I stopped over to check it out (even though I ain't done with my living room project quite yet) and see what the story was with the tree. Well, upon looking at it, it had a PILE of problems. I determined that the tree was struck by lightning many years ago (if you've ever seen a lightning struck tree, alot of times they get a spiralling wound down the entirety of the trunk right into the ground). This tree had that, and it was totally hollowed out to boot! This led the tree to twist and flex over the years, and that healed-over spiral wound eventually split open, and led to one of the most unstable trees I ever dropped......

View attachment 100869 View attachment 100870

Ended up dropping two red maples, still have two more big ones to do for him in a week or so. I'll end up with around 3 cord or so of red maple from this job. Feels good to get back at it!!

Nice job S.O., how was the dirt on the chain?

 

[swagler85]

Looks like u dropped it where u wanted it to go. Nice job! Those nasty ones scare me

 

[smokinj]

Had a client call with an emergency take-down late last week. He had a 28" diameter 60' red maple in his backyard that had a spiralling split in it. I stopped over to check it out (even though I ain't done with my living room project quite yet) and see what the story was with the tree. Well, upon looking at it, it had a PILE of problems. I determined that the tree was struck by lightning many years ago (if you've ever seen a lightning struck tree, alot of times they get a spiralling wound down the entirety of the trunk right into the ground). This tree had that, and it was totally hollowed out to boot! This led the tree to twist and flex over the years, and that healed-over spiral wound eventually split open, and led to one of the most unstable trees I ever dropped......

View attachment 100869 View attachment 100870

Ended up dropping two red maples, still have two more big ones to do for him in a week or so. I'll end up with around 3 cord or so of red maple from this job. Feels good to get back at it!!

Better you than me!

 

[PapaDave]

Whoa.
No thank you.

 

[TimJ]

You know they are bad when the inside has decomposed to dirt. I guess you wore the cobwebbs loose hey Scotty

 

[loadstarken]

Wow congrats on cutting that one down!
It looks like it fell apart when it landed!

 

[Ralphie Boy]

Ya should of left one of them hollow logs long and made a canoe or kayak out of it!

 

[ScotO]

Nice job S.O., how was the dirt on the chain?

It wasn't bad zap. It wasn't dirt it was more like rotted leaves and wood.....you should've seen some of the giant grubs in that stuff!

 

[ScotO]

Wow congrats on cutting that one down!
It looks like it fell apart when it landed!

It was actually split like a spiral, which opened up when it landed. But it didn't fall apart 'til I bucked it up.......then it literally fell into pieces! As far as splitting this wood up, the trunk is nearly finished and I never even fired the splitter up yet!

 

[firebroad]

WoW!
On the one hand, I hope you didn't eliminate the home of some wildlife, on the other, glad you got it down before it fell on someone or a house. Glad you didn't hurt yourself with all that stuff flying about. Least it won't be hard to split!

 

[fossil]

That's a scary tree...glad you got it down safely.

 

[thewoodlands]

It wasn't bad zap. It wasn't dirt it was more like rotted leaves and wood.....you should've seen some of the giant grubs in that stuff!

Would the trout like some BIG grubs?

 

[lukem]

Hopefully it didn't have a real big lean to it. Hollow tree = bad, hollow tree + split = real bad, hollow tree + split + heavy lean = blows up about half way thru the back cut.

Surprised there were no critters living in that thing. I was out mushrooming yesterday and walked by a tree (hollow elm) that looked about like that. I could hear a bunch of coon kittens in there having a good time.

 

[firebroad]

Hopefully it didn't have a real big lean to it. Hollow tree = bad, hollow tree + split = real bad, hollow tree + split + heavy lean = blows up about half way thru the back cut.

Surprised there were no critters living in that thing. I was out mushrooming yesterday and walked by a tree (hollow elm) that looked about like that. I could hear a bunch of coon kittens in there having a good time.

It was prolly SO BAD, even the critters condemned it!

 

[bogydave]

Good job Scotty.
Dangerous looking tree!

You need 3 cords of that maple?
You getting wood ready for next year's syrup?

Hope the other 2 trees come up with some better wood

 

[ScotO]

WoW!
On the one hand, I hope you didn't eliminate the home of some wildlife

Surprised there were no critters living in that thing.

No wildlife in it at all.....unless you count carpenter ants. Quite a few of them near the top of the hollow section! Oh, and those giant grubs (about the size of your thumb!!)

Hopefully it didn't have a real big lean to it. Hollow tree = bad, hollow tree + split = real bad, hollow tree + split + heavy lean = blows up about half way thru the back cut.

I've cut some really nasty hollow trees over the years doing this tree removal gig......this one ranked up in the top ten, but wasn't nearly as bad as others. It did start to 'pop' and bow on the backcut. But my making a steep wedge cut on the face (not going into the hollow part of the tree) and the fact that the tree had the perfect amount of forward lean to it, it went almost perfectly. Fell right where I wanted it to. The big problem with trees like that one is the hinge. If you plunge your falling wedge too far into the tree (into the hollow section) you lose all your hingewood. That's when things can get really ugly.....

That's a scary tree...glad you got it down safely.

Thanks Rick. It had my heart up in my throat for a minute, but I was very calculated and careful with it. I've done quite a few of these hollow ones, some of them quite scary. I think the thing that had me a tad edgy about this particular tree is it is my first actual removal this spring.......not a fun tree for the first one of the season!

Would the trout like some BIG grubs?

I cut a huge ash tree down several years ago with these same grubs in it. My buddy saved a whole soda bottle full of them and tried them on a trout pond with his kids. Damm things didn't hit a one of them. I think the grubs were so big and ugly even the trout refused to touch 'em!!

 

[ScotO]

Good job Scotty.
Dangerous looking tree!

You need 3 cords of that maple?
You getting wood ready for next year's syrup?

Hope the other 2 trees come up with some better wood

I REALLY like having lots of soft maple, Dave. Especially in the shoulder seasons, even in the dead of winter to mix in with the locust. I used silver maple and ash mostly this past winter. I'm betting around 4 cord of it!!

I'll be saving the pine, cottonwood and such for the maple evaporator.....we have TONS of that lined up to cut over the next 6 months!

 

[Woody Stover]

I REALLY like having lots of soft maple, Dave. Especially in the shoulder seasons, even in the dead of winter to mix in with the locust. I used silver maple and ash mostly this past winter.

Love that Red! I burned quite a bit this year, probably a half cord or better. A bunch of Cherry, Red Elm and Ash as well. In the past six weeks, I've stacked about a cord and two thirds of Red and Silver for next season.

 

[HDRock]

Great Job Scotty, no hollow trees for me , let the bugs finish em off
Burned quite a bit of red maple myself this winter, by it's self and mixed ,I have a cord left, I plan on getting some more where I got that from

 

[ScotO]

Great Job Scotty, no hollow trees for me , let the bugs finish em off
Burned quite a bit of red maple myself this winter, by it's self and mixed ,I have a cord left, I plan on getting some more where I got that from

HD, this one HAD to come down. The guy I cut it for has several young children, as does his next door neighbor, and it was a severe safety hazard. It was right in his backyard, I fell the tree into his neighbors yard. They were both literally all smiles after that ugly bastage hit the ground!

 

[WeldrDave]

Nice Job Scotty! That one could have been dangerous all the way around...

 

[save$]

I wish more people would be proactive when it comes to keeping guard about the trees where children play. Not too long ago, there was a lethal mishap from a falling branch onto some children in a schoolyard. All avoidable.

 

[firebroad]

Guy next door has several mature pines lining his property border with mine. Last year I had just gone to bed when I heard a loud cracking boom and saw a flash of light. Went to the window, thinking a storm was brewing, all was quiet, went back to bed. Next day found that a huge limb had broken off, some of it in my yard. My neighbor had a wooden picnic bench that was COMPLETELY destroyed and flattened. Apparently the flash was from the limb (about 12-15 inches wide at the break!) ripping down the power line into his house.
Anyway, it took him a while to get the tree limb cut up and moved, so I just processed what was hanging in my yard, and tossed a lot of the little stuff back on his side. He cleaned it up in a few months, but if I had asked him, I know he would have come right over and got it out of my yard. I am glad to have a good neighbor. That wood should be ready this fall...

 

[Woody Stover]

Last year I had just gone to bed when I heard a loud cracking boom and saw a flash of light. Went to the window, thinking a storm was brewing, all was quiet, went back to bed. Next day found that a huge limb had broken off, some of it in my yard. My neighbor had a wooden picnic bench that was COMPLETELY destroyed and flattened. Apparently the flash was from the limb (about 12-15 inches wide at the break!) ripping down the power line into his house.
Anyway, it took him a while to get the tree limb cut up and moved, so I just processed what was hanging in my yard, and tossed a lot of the little stuff back on his side. He cleaned it up in a few months, but if I had asked him, I know he would have come right over and got it out of my yard. I am glad to have a good neighbor. That wood should be ready this fall...

Yep, it's flash-dried!