dropping a tree

[rustynut]

hi guys,
got a fella @ work wondering the proper way to drop a tree where you want it to fall ?
didnt know what to tell him ?
figured i could find some good advise right here...
thanks

 

[BotetourtSteve]

Whew...that is not a simple explanation to be gained on the internet, especially if the tree to be cut has the potential to fall on something (or someone). There may be videos out there in cyberspace that show in general terms (proper notching, then thru-cut, using wedges,etc), but to really be comfortable with doing it you have to have experience. If this guy has no experience dropping trees, tell him to go spend some time with someone who does, or else pay a tree service to take it down. Too much potential for something to go wrong and hurt someone or something if the tree is any size at all.

 

[biggins08]

True!

 

[fossil]

The very simplest of instructions can be found in the owner's manual of any chain saw...they illustrate the cuts and the sequence, they talk about the fulcrum, and how the location of the wedge cuts will tend to direct the fall of the tree. BUT, and this is a great big BUT, those very simple instructions are just that...very simple. Every tree has its own unique considerations. There are a ton of variables to take into account. How big is the tree? What type of tree is it? How symmetrical is the tree? How close are other things around it (trees, structures, whatever)? What's the terrain like (flat, sloped, steep)? Trees of any size weigh tons...enough to destroy a vehicle, severely damage a structure, kill a human. I've only tackled a few such projects, and I learned that unless it's a real straightforward drop...relatively small tree, fairly open area, little risk of damage or injury...it's probably best left to a professional. Rick

 

[rustynut]

got a friend that explained it to me a few years back
i wrote it all down..........................
its around here somewhere
he says he has lots of room to drop it
goes something like this if i remember
v notch the side you want the tree to fall, about half way thru
then go to other side, slightly above the v and cut angled down toward the v
does this sound correct ?
he was talking about hooking a comealong to it as well for insurance
havn't seen the area but he says he has lots of room
figured i might stop by to cheer him on
thanks
rn

 

[rustynut]

hey fossil
thanks for the info
lots of things to consider
think he said the tree was about 14 inch dia
found a pic on the site of a guy who dropped a 3 - 4 footer right on his truck
pulled a powerpoint together for inspiration
shouldnt be that big of an ordeal with lots of room
rn

 

[fossil]

Yes, well, all that textbook stuff is well and good...and it assumes a solid, healthy, symmetrical tree. If it's rotton or partially hollow inside, or branch-heavy on one side or the other, that sucker can come falling right on down on your pickup truck before you even have time to make the final cut. A come-along's never a bad idea, if you can get it fastened high enough up in the tree to make a difference. For gosh sakes, be careful. Rick

 

[jpl1nh]

And if the tree has any lean to it, uh, it's going that direction unless you can rope it and pull it the direction you want it. Then you better make sure your pulling it from a safe distance, like really safe. Like everyone has already said, it's so often not a simple notch and cut it correctly deal.

 

[mtarbert]

I have a very real aversion to Pain so when I have a tree that needs cutting down I pay a guy who works for a tree service come over and he drops it for me for 50 dollars. He charges 50 for one or five and I feel this is money well spent. I don't mind cutting it up but, the thought of 20,000 pounds of wood falling on me is not something I want happening.
Call me a sissy but, I like being verticle

 

[snowtime]

I have dropped hundreds of trees in the last 35 years. 120 just for the last home i built. So heres some tips. First off do not make the notch "1/2" way through the tree thats a beginner mistake. If the notch is too far you can not get your wedge in before the tree might decide to come back at you. What you want is to make as small a notch as needed and for a 14" tree you really only need around a 4" notch. What you will do then is make your back cut towards the notch just far enough that you can start your wedges. Yes wedge that tree and make your back cut level not at a downward angle that way a wedge has more leverage and works for you. As your saw goes deeper hit the wedge to keep it just behind your saw. Its best to use more than one wedge. This also protects your saw from getting pinched. When the tree decides to fall do not stand behind it. You could get hit by the butt kicking back. Stand behind and to the side and make sure you have a easy path to bail.

Here's the kicker. You should not try to make the tree go anywhere it isn't naturally leaning. Thats a job for a professional. The wedges work great but you need experience to make a tree go against its normal lean DO NOT TRY IT. The fast way that I use in the bush to determine what way a tree will fall is to hold my ax up and sight it against 2 sides of the tree. This will tell you the lean but not the branches. You will have to determine if there is a heavy side that will bring the tree over. Sometimes its very difficult to determine this. If important or valuable property might get hit then do not do this unless the tree is leaning and weighted the right way. Hope this helps keep you safe.

 

[jebatty]

Here's the kicker. You should not try to make the tree go anywhere it isn't naturally leaning. Thats a job for a professional.

This is loaded advice. While this might be relatively safe for slight leans, following this advice for a serious lean could kill you. The stress on the back side of tree can be tremendous, and sometimes even starting that backcut/notch can cause the trunk to explosively split right into your face, knocking your head into oblivion. The best advice on a leaning tree is to hire a pro.

 

[syd3006]

Some of the web sites of saw manufactures have video's on felling trees such as Jonsered and Stil. It is a good idea to have a partner if his job is nothing more than to get help if it is required. Having the job properly planned and having the confidence to do it are vital.

 

[ControlFreak]

Whenever a tree starts to drop, put about 20-30 feet between the two of you. I'll illustrate it here:

I once dropped an ash tree in our woods that was leaning at about a 30 degree angle, because I considered it to be a hazard. My kids played where that tree leaned. This massive tree had a trunk that was about 30" in diameter. Pretty predictable, right? Well, maybe.

When this tree fell, it went down right where expected, but the midsection of the trunk came in contact with an old stump, and the butt of the trunk lifted up off the ground, went up about 5-10 feet in the air, and came back down about 8 feet off to the side where I was standing at my last cut. My eyes became like saucers when I realized what would have happened to me if I had not been 20 feet away.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Well now, I'd highly recommend your friend get a pro in to drop that tree, period. Anybody that's askin' how to drop a tree ain't got no business droppin' it PERIOD!

www.arboristsite.com <----------------- all your questions 'bout tree droppin' can be answered right here

 

[Henz]

I dont drop any trees over 10" without using the bore cut. It is by far the safest way to fell a tree. jsut google bore cutting and you will see some videos

 

[Lasher]

I would agree with everyone here...do not attempt to drop a tree without some training and a lot of practice with smaller trees. I have worked with a lot of tree guys that could do amazing things when dropping trees. One guy would put a stick in the ground and say..."this is where the tree would fall"...and then proceed to make the tree "spin" on the fall by using an angled face cut to have the tree spin 90 degrees as it falls, against the lean, to drive the stick in the ground.

Now would I try this, not a chance in heck. I only drop trees that I know will fall in a safe direction. In other words, the tress is slightly leaning in the direction I want to fall and there is enough weight on the branches to make it go that way. Even so, I have had trees that missed my mark, not want to fall at all or what ever. When everything goes perfect, it is quite a feeling, but when it goes bad, you might need to change your pants (or go to hospital or morgue).

Every day that I drop a tree I learn more and more. I research all I can, talk to tree pros etc. And even on little trees (3 inch or so) I practice!

One thing that was mentioned as well, is you safety plan of escape. It should be 45 degrees from opposite way the tree falls. So if the tree is falling to the north, you should escape by going south east or south west. And watch out for widow makers!

 

[Henz]

yes, and also all of the proper equipemnt,. Which I dont ever start my saw unless I have gloves, steele toe boots, good chaps and a helmet with screen and ear protection. I remember when I went o my local Hysky dealer and picked out my new 357xp. I told him flat out that I dont have much experience with saws. He said thats ok, just start slow and work your way up. Read the manual several times and think about safety and what your doing and its potential consequences. Then I picked out the best Husky full wrap chaps, a helmet with ear and face protection and some kevlar reinforced gloves. Alreayd had the steel toe boots. I put everything on the counter and got a heckling from some local guys about buying chaps and all that. The store owner looked at them square in the face and said, " well, this guy here is the only smart one in this place from the way I see it".

 

[snowtime]

I agree safety equipment is required. Many of the videos that have links posted here show good technique but the operator is not wearing the proper gear. I never start my saw without my bucking pants on and all the other gear. I prefer bucking pants over chaps because the design of some chaps lets them twist with the chain so it can still get you once the chain has pulled the chaps around full pants are safer. One mistake and you have a kick back to a major artery and you are dead. One thing I have found is cork boots will keep you from falling and getting in trouble especially if its wet out. Even when its dry watch those other trees you have cut down the bark is wet underneith and will slip and make you fall.
I forgot to state the 20' distance between you and the tree when I said do not stand behind the tree but to the side and behind. Also someone criticized my advice on leaning trees. His point was was well made as leaning trees are dangerous. I was referring to the fact that all trees have a side they wish to fall. No tree is perfect and one learns to spot [most of the time] where it wants to go. I agree a seriously leaning tree is dangerous and should only be cut by someone with experience.

I am updating my info but there are many more things to learn for a first time faller. Best bet if this will be a 1 time shot is to get someone with good experience to cut that tree down. If you want to get into falling than I suggest get all the info possible and start small.

 

[Henz]

yuppers, thats why I wear full wrap chaps

 

[Rich L]

One other consideration is when you cut your V cut don't cut it in the direction of the wind.If the wind is strong enough when you make the cut behind the V cut the wind can stand the tree straight up when the back cut is completed the tree will slide straight down the stump in the vicinity of a foot.I learned this from experience luckily it missed my foot which I still have to this day.

 

[RedRanger]

I will admit that I do most of my own falling,but then in the past I worked as a scaler in the logging industry and learned a lot from the pros. It is with out a doubt the most dangerous profession out there. If you have any doubts at all, get a pro to do it for you. Some of the things that can go wrong.

top breaks off and falls right down on top of you and kills you. this is specially true with dead standing trees (snags).

you get hung up and think that you will quickly fall the tree that your first one is hung up on. Big Mistake. and Deadly.

You`ve checked the lean but didn`t notice that the branches are on the one side growing towards the light.

you have made the proper backcut and then you get a barber-chair-(like a whip can kill you instantly).

You neglected to clear a proper getaway path,fall or trip when the tree comes back at you the wrong way and crushes you.

There are many,many more examples of what can go wrong,these are just a few. In the past I have helped carry dead professional fallers out of the woods for all kinds of various reasons, inexperience being the most common, hangovers another, and poor judgement another, and just plain bad luck.

If you have some spindly little trees, sure maybe give it a whiz, but leave the big suckers to the pros. It`s not worth your LIFE.

 

[whphel]

Well now, I'd highly recommend your friend get a pro in to drop that tree, period. Anybody that's askin' how to drop a tree ain't got no business droppin' it PERIOD!

www.arboristsite.com <----------------- all your questions 'bout tree droppin' can be answered right here

I agree 100%.

 

[kshultz]

There is a book published online somewhere. I think it is "Felling a Tree". I downloaded it a few years ago when I started to clear my lot. I found it to be very informative, helpful. I think I deleted it from my hard drive, but if i have it I'll email it to you. Check Google out.

 

[R&D Guy]

hi guys,
got a fella @ work wondering the proper way to drop a tree where you want it to fall ?
didnt know what to tell him ?
figured i could find some good advise right here...
thanks

Every time I watch an episode of Ax Men on the History Channel I have this big urge to go out back with my Stihl an cut a few big trees down! I've cut a few medium-large (30 to 40') trees down at my folks house and it's always harder than it looks, and boy is there a lot to go wrong! I would cut unless there's NO wind.

 

[rustynut]

hi guys,
thanks for all the posts
he got scared and found a friend to help him bring it down
friend had experience with this
down with no problem
lots of good info here
thanks again
over & out

while waiting for some replys last thursday nite i ran across the pic here of the
fella that dropped the big one on his truck. pic showed him in the back of the bed
smiling. pulled my friends picture of the web and plugged it in ..........
haha
had a good laugh