felling advice

[Granite Statah]

I've got this 8-10" dia beech that developed a split over the winter and is now leaning over one of my trails. Where is the safest place to start cutting? I'm worried about the "barber chair" situation.

The shed you can see in the background is actually quite far away, and there are no wires, structures or anything else to worry about nearby. Thanks.

 

[lost in the woods]

the technique I would use is called . . . . "push it over with the log skidder"

 

[Tar12]

log chain and tug it till it breaks over.

 

[Chas0218]

Cut as far down the trunk as possible you could put a small hinge cut in but it's going to pinch the saw. i would try to pull it over first.

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[DuaeGuttae]

I have no felling advice, but I wanted to ask about the type of tree. You said beech, but it doesn't look like any beech I've seen (smooth bark, lots of branches off the trunk with leaves that hang on all winter until pushed off in the spring). Is it some other variety?

 

[peakbagger]

Its a beech with beech blight.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Its a beech with beech blight.

That makes me sad. I've never seen one before (to my knowledge). Beech trees are some of my favorites (not discussing firewood here, though we have burned what our neighbors have taken down, and it was nice).

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[peakbagger]

I bought about 80 acres with blighted beech in the mix. There is varying immunity to it in some beeches so I do have some healthy older ones but in areas where a stand is regenerating and they grew in thick, the vast majority come down with the blight. My place is north of where oaks grow so beech are an important mast crop for wildlife. The blight is carried by a fungus that can get caught under bear claws. When the bears climb the beeches they scar the bark and apparently the fungus can get spread. On the older trees they seem to not get it but the younger ones that are just starting to bear mast (usually 6 to 8 inch diameter) will frequently look blight free until the bears start climbing them to get to the nuts. I will find those young trees a few years later with signs of the blight at the bear claw marks.

I expect my firewood from now on is blighted beech. It can be a PITA to split and it has to be caught before it rots but it can be good firewood.

 

[StihlKicking]

I would put a birds mouth notch in the direction of the lean as close to the ground as possible.....you know what scratch that it's hard to really give good advise on something like this by looking at internet pictures. Every tree is different with different forces of physics working on it. That's the kind of tree that could knock your brains out if your standing in the wrong place when you make the wrong kind of cut. If your not 100% comfortable cutting it, find someone who is.


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[Chas0218]

Does this look like beech blight? I have a bunch of young beech without any signs but then others 18" across that look similar.

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[peakbagger]

Yup that's beech blight

 

[Chas0218]

Yup that's beech blight

Damn, looks like i have my work cut out for me with my firewood. I have a good 30 trees with it not including the ones that already died from it.

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