Oak suicide

[Free BTUs]

Was working on the computer and heard a big crash outside - evidently you can hear it when a tree falls on your shed. First time using my chainsaw on a roof...but its all cut up and ready to be split. Got it stacked up next to about 2 cords of white pine I have to split. I'm guessing it committed suicide because it was sad that I cut up his friends. Actually the whole base of the tree was rotted right through, but the rest of the tree was solid. Glad it was a small one - it only put a dent in the roof and knocked the door out of square.

 

[Fred Wright]

Glad to hear the shed survived. Oak usually does serious damage when it falls on things.

 

[Woody Stover]

base of the tree was rotted right through, but the rest of the tree was solid.

A lot of the Red Oaks here do that, too. I've got several down that I need to get....after I get some quick-dry stuff stacked.

 

[Applesister]

How did you get it down?

 

[red oak]

Do you have insurance that covers that?

 

[Paulywalnut]

Love that red oak though!

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Nice score...

 

[osagebow]

Did the "He's dead, Jim" icon pop up on your computer?

Glad the shed made it!

 

[BoiledOver]

Keep this in mind...Backwoods posted this notice about oak trees

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/warning-on-oak-trees.127302/

 

[TradEddie]

Usually you'd have to pay to have wood delivered so close!
Glad everyone was okay.

TE

 

[Free BTUs]

Looks like it was insect damage to the base of the tree that caused it to fall. The shed roof looks like it is not leaking but I'll have to wait until we get heavy rain later this week to be sure. I'll have to do some minor work on the door to get it to close right. I didn't see any other damage so it looks like I got off easy. My home owner's insurance would cover the damage, but even if the shed was leveled I don't think I would put a claim in. I'm less than a mile from the ocean so I need hurricane insurance which is hard to get in MA. I wouldn't want to give the insurance company any reason to dump my policy.

To get it down I put a ladder on the left side of the shed and cut about half way through the overhanging top of the tree. The ladder was wedged tight against the woodstack pallets so it was stable. I didn't like the idea of using a chainsaw on a ladder but it went ok. Then I got off the ladder, put a rope around the top part of the tree, and pulled on it to snap it off and drop it down to the ground. Then I got up on the roof and cut off log lengths until the tree was just down to a couple inches on the roof. Got back on the ground and cut a V notch in trunk about 1/3 up from the bottom. Snapped the tree at the V and the top 2/3 stood up off the shed and fell away from the shed in the direction of the forward lean. Went well once I came up with a plan.

 

[smokedragon]

Actually the whole base of the tree was rotted right through, but the rest of the tree was solid.

Seen that few times, my last two oak scores were that way.

Glad the shed survived.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We've had two red oak limbs fall on our barn. It is a steel barn and the sound was probably heard for 10 miles. Only damage was just one small dent in one of the gutters. That was a relief.

 

[xman23]

I just took down 2, 6 inch maples 20 ft from the house. They had a spiral split, about 10ft up the base, The center was hollow. You really need to get those bad trees down that are close to the house.

 

[Free BTUs]

In the last few months I took down 12 trees around my house. I cut down 5 of them myself and I paid a professional to cut down the other 7 because they posed too much of a danger to do it myself. I didn't notice that this oak was a problem. I guess I need to go out and inspect all the trees around my house.

 

[smokedragon]

It is a steel barn and the sound was probably heard for 10 miles.

I've heard that sound a few times while out in the woods, always wonder what damage the owner will find.......

 

[TradEddie]

I've heard that sound a few times while out in the woods, always wonder what damage the owner will find.......

Something like my avatar pic most likely. $10K insurance claim, 6 years firewood supply and over a thousand board-feet of oak and poplar.

TE