Partially Fallen Tree - how to cut?

[Bulldogguy]

I have a recent tree that has partially fallen and could use some advice to take it down. It’s crossed our driveway and broke about 12 to 15 feet up with the top half resting on the driveway. Was thinking of tying it off to provide some pressure on the side and then cutting it so that the trunk/base falls sideways. It’s a a large tree with a lot of weight so trying to make sure I do this safely. Any advice would be welcomed. I have attached two images for reference.

 

[peakbagger]

Any options for hooking a long chain or rope to it and pulling it over?

 

[weee123]

What I personally would do is chunk it up from the top thats touching the ground and work your way up to the base of the tree. Make sure you cut from the bottom up of the log and not top down as you’ll pinch your bar.

 

[ericm979]

Cutting so it falls parallel to the road would be the best option, especially if the broken part and the standing part are held together
reasonably well. You don't want the broken half to fall out of the upright part when you're cutting. You can cut the broken part of the trunk across the road but only so far as you can't reach that high.

 

[moor]

The issue with taking it from the rooted section is the force the downed section is putting on the trunk. Theres going to be pressure pushing it into the woods and away from the road as the top of the downed part still wants to come down. The more you can eliminate from the downed section will decrease this force. Personally I would chunk it up as much as possible cutting it from the bottom like weee says to decrease the pressure on the rooted section and then pull it with some straps. Also I would have my wife check on me periodically.

 

[Duds13]

Call a professional. A lot can go wrong with this setup, and you've received some poor advice on this forum already.

 

[weee123]

Call a professional. A lot can go wrong with this setup, and you've received some poor advice on this forum already.

I fail to see how the advice I gave him was poor. It’s the safest way to do it yourself and is the way a professional is going to do it anyway.

 

[EbS-P]

What I personally would do is chunk it up from the top thats touching the ground and work your way up to the base of the tree. Make sure you cut from the bottom up of the log and not top down as you’ll pinch your bar.

This is what I’d do too, but I would try to throw a rope over the highest point I could and keep it tight (tied off to another tree or vehicle) while working from the other side. This would be to keep it from rolling towards me while cutting.

This would be after I tried to pull it with whatever I could tie on to.

Cut the too side first (compressed wood) and the finishing from the bottom. Some might even recommend cutting the equivalent of a felling notch on the top. Keeping the hinge intact so it comes down slower. Cutting higher than my shoulder is something I never do.

Last point downed trees are the most dangerous. If this is your first experience with them take it slow. If you aren’t at all hesitant then you probably should hire it done.

 

[weee123]

Yes I did forget to mention the relief cut on the top side first.

 

[thewoodlands]

I have a recent tree that has partially fallen and could use some advice to take it down. It’s crossed our driveway and broke about 12 to 15 feet up with the top half resting on the driveway. Was thinking of tying it off to provide some pressure on the side and then cutting it so that the trunk/base falls sideways. It’s a a large tree with a lot of weight so trying to make sure I do this safely. Any advice would be welcomed. I have attached two images for reference.

View attachment 316759 View attachment 316760

When I first started cutting we used a tree saver (tow strap) cable and the winch on the rhino. If I feel the tree is still attached pretty good at the broken off end, I do it like @weee123 said.

I never used a chainsaw until we moved here so someone on this site recommended this book, it has some good info in it.

 

[thewoodlands]

I have a recent tree that has partially fallen and could use some advice to take it down. It’s crossed our driveway and broke about 12 to 15 feet up with the top half resting on the driveway. Was thinking of tying it off to provide some pressure on the side and then cutting it so that the trunk/base falls sideways. It’s a a large tree with a lot of weight so trying to make sure I do this safely. Any advice would be welcomed. I have attached two images for reference.

View attachment 316759 View attachment 316760

You might want to invest in some winching equipment, d-shackles, snatch blocks, tree savers and some synthetic winch line cable rope. It looks like it won't be the last tree that comes down.

 

[Duds13]

I fail to see how the advice I gave him was poor. It’s the safest way to do it yourself and is the way a professional is going to do it anyway.

I didn't say who gave the poor advice and I wont. Whenever a person posts a question on this forum about what stove to buy, they usually get a list of questions like how much space are you heating? will you be burning 24/7 or just fires for likes? What is your chimney like, etc etc.

No one asked this person any questions like do you have experience cutting trees? What kind of saw do you have? Do you have the proper PPE? What kind of tractor do you have? Do you have long chains or ropes? etc etc.

Cutting trees is dangerous work and not for the inexperienced.

 

[Heat Maxx]

Advice is just that, advice. It can be taken or disregarded.

 

[Duds13]

Advice is just that, advice. It can be taken or disregarded.

True.

 

[Newbie78]

Take a small piece off the top, maybe two. This just to get the top lying on the road and clear of standing timber. Then hook a long chain (not a rope) to the end on the road and drag the top to pull the tree off of the stump.

That's an easy one, but it will kill you if done incorrectly. Don't go anywhere near the trunk of that tree. That is the dangerous end. Careful "whittling" at the top is pretty safe.

The suggestion of cutting a notch on the top side and then a backcut from the bottom is good, as this will give you a controlled drop.

 

[weee123]

I didn't say who gave the poor advice and I wont. Whenever a person posts a question on this forum about what stove to buy, they usually get a list of questions like how much space are you heating? will you be burning 24/7 or just fires for likes? What is your chimney like, etc etc.

No one asked this person any questions like do you have experience cutting trees? What kind of saw do you have? Do you have the proper PPE? What kind of tractor do you have? Do you have long chains or ropes? etc etc.

Cutting trees is dangerous work and not for the inexperienced.

Fair point

 

[johneh]

Cutting trees is dangerous work and not for the inexperienced

So if you don't have experience don't cut a tree
Then how do you gain experience??
Just a stupid question

 

[ericm979]

Unless it's obvious that someone is a beginner, I usually assume they have a reasonable amount of knowledge. Maybe that's wrong in some cases but some people get mad when they think they're being talked down to. Any tree felling advice based on one picture is going to be very general and may well be wrong when the problem is viewed from a different angle.

Maybe it's safer to not say anything, but that diminishes the social aspect of sites like this.

The "To Fell A Tree" book is really good.

 

[Duds13]

So if you don't have experience don't cut a tree
Then how do you gain experience??
Just a stupid question

Probably not from posting a couple pictures on a forum and trying to figure out which advice is best. Like Newbie78 stated, do it wrong and it can kill you.

Look, The Op can do whatever he wants. My opinion is call a professional. Sure it will cost money, but have a few more trees dropped and get some more firewood out of the job.

 

[johneh]

I agree if the job is above your pay grade then get someone who knows how
But

My opinion is call a professional.

If you call a professional that's OK but how did he become a pro
To become a pro at anything means you have to learn how to do it. If
you don't ask or figure it out then you will never know how. I had to learn.
After 60 years of cutting my own wood, I am still learning. Take a good look
at what he has to cut. Standing dead tree broken about halfway up. throw a line over it
chinch it up connect to your tractor, truck or even an ATV give it a good pull
and it will fall over in the drive if it did not all fall the standing stub is no problem to cut
Anyone who can not do this or needs a pro should wrap themselves in bubble wrap and stand in the corner
No disrespect to anyone intended!!

 

[fvhowler]

If it were my situation, I would use a truck or tractor to get main trunk on the ground and then cut up. Trees like this are too unpredictable for me using a saw.

 

[Simonkenton]

Start at the tip, cutting off 5-foot sections. Saw from the bottom up.
With my badass Husqvarna I could make that tree go bye-bye in about ten minutes. What is it, Aspen? Soft wood.

 

[shortys7777]

I would cut some of it up thats leaning till you feel safe. Not lifting your saw overhead. I would then cut a notch in the base and use a come a long with a long rope to the base of a tree 25ft away or wherever its safe then pull it over and clean it up on the ground. Just basing this off the tools I currently own. pull leaners this way. It allows me to be far from the tree where if it falls or slips out quick I'm still far enough away to be in a safe zone.

 

[NowhereMan]

It could be worse. The damage in the picture was caused by a branch from a 180' Douglas Fir tree, the trunk of which was 4' outside our kitchen window. We hired a team of professionals to take that one down...

The OP's tree would make me a bit nervous, as it's not clear how solidly the 2 parts are attached. So, if I could not pull it over to get the whole thing on the ground, I'd probably hire somebody to deal with it.

 

[Max W]

I sure hope he has it figured out by now.