Should I cut this?

[andyrlee]

Looks like this has been dead for a while.

My guess is a old big shaggy bark hickory.

The base is very large so with my limited experience and only a saw with a 18" bar that would be borrowed I'm thinking of just cutting the branch that's laying on the ground and going up and to the right of the picture.

The branch seems pretty solid yet and is right in my backyard, not to mention hickory.

So I'm thinking what the heck.

Your opinions.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

All wood that isn't punky has btus. I've been known to split mildly punky wood too. Free is free.


Matt

 

[gzecc]

Prepare for that tree to do the unpredictable. It could be rotten in all kind of places. It could fall when you cut 2 inches in. It could split in half when you cut into it.
Have someone there when you do it. If you could rap a rope around the trunk above where you cutting it will give you some safety. Make sure you have an easy escape route if you do decide to test your luck!

 

[84Buckeye]

I wouldn't waste my time with but my buddy on the otherhand would take it.. He has an outdoor wood burner and must burn 24/7. We are finishing up on a woods and he wanted a huge standing dead elm that was very similiar to this. Got 2 truck loads so far out it and no way 1/2 done.. Guess it depends on what your situation is..

I would be VERY, VERY careful with that though if you decide to take it down!

 

[stee6043]

For the guy not desperate for wood.....I'd say leave it. But if you're trying hard to get ahead - take it. That thing could be quite rotten on the inside...who knows. Give it a few pounds with a hammer and see if it sounds solid.

 

[savageactor7]

If that a gallon milk jug at the base...that is a pretty big tree and you can see daylight threw it as well. Could be tricky, there's no dishonor in admitting somethings beyond your present skill/tool level.

 

[Wet1]

As long as that huge black snake was sitting next to it, I wouldn't touch it!

 

[Shipper50]

As long as that huge black snake was sitting next to it, I wouldn't touch it!

Had my laugh for the morning, that was a good one..... :lol:


Shipper

 

[colebrookman]

Unless you are desperate for wood I'd leave it for the animals. Great for housing and nesting and less chance to get hurt. Be safe.
Ed

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I say cut it and burn it.

As usual, it is definitely difficult to tell by the picture but it looks like white oak.

 

[firefighterjake]

As long as that huge black snake was sitting next to it, I wouldn't touch it!

Thanks for the good laugh.

 

[firefighterjake]

If I were me . . . and I am me . . . I would leave this type of tree alone.

1) It looks like there may be quite a bit of punkiness in this tree.

2) I am leery around very large trees . . . and it seems like the larger the tree I attempt to cut, the more likely I am to get it hung up or have the saw pinch.

3) I would be leery of cutting down a tree in this state . . . out of a concern that there may not be a lot of good wood holding it which could result in the tree falling unpredictably.

Again, as others have mentioned, hard to tell the exact condition of this tree based on the picture.

 

[billb3]

The big branch on the ground behind the snake might be worthwhile. At least where it is off the ground should be OK.
If it is oak, it might be a bit petrified and hard as a rock. Good test of your sharpening skills.

The 'stump' I might leave for the woodpeckers , bug-eaters and bugs.
Can be an intereseting project to watch decay and serve nature.
Might be valuable firewood there, too. Hard to tell.

 

[firefighterjake]

Just read your post more carefully . . . re: the large branch. I'd cut it . . . if it wasn't too punky.

 

[Duetech]

There could be all kinds of good wood in that tree but the pic don't show how high it goes. Wood is wood to me so I would try to lasso a loop across the top to see if it would wiggle the tree. If it wiggles maybe a good pull will tip it over. If it's snug I would notch it and topple it with the saw. Hickory is prime. If it's too unstable I wouldn't even go after the snake on the ground.

 

[basswidow]

The branch on the ground in back looks good - I'd cut it.

I had a similar looking huge tree on the ridge across from my house that I have been eyeing for 2 years. It fell on one branch and is suspended and not touching the ground.

I walked up a few weeks ago and took a peck at it with an axe to see if it was wrotten. To my surprize - it was not. I cut a round and then split it - it's OAK and in great shape. Must be 1.5 cords in one tree. I had spoken to the landowner and he said he gave someone else permission to take wood from his property and I'd have to go through that guy - but the guy never got back to me.

The tree is still there taunting me - and I am trying to get permission to take it. Perhaps I could cut it and give him half - so he doesn't have to do any of the work? It's a great tree. Looks wrotten - but it's perfect! It's on a steep slope and no one else would even consider bothering with it - but it would be easy to buck and roll the rounds down to street level. I am gonna keep on this guy for permission.

 

[smokinj]

Thats going to dull up some chains!

 

[branchburner]

Just watch out for old fencing, nails, etc. Thanks to trees like that, the oil truck drives by my house without stopping. I always prefer to cull the old and sick, as long as they are easy and safe to drop. Even the really sad looking ones like yours usually seem to have some solid sections. If some of the wood is rotten, I leave it. A bit punky, I dry it up for shoulder season. A lot of my punky hardwood is as good as my solid pine and spruce, and those three types of fuel have kept the house warm right through November. But I'm saving the good stuff!

 

[andyrlee]

"What we have here is a magnificent specimen of pure Alabama blacksnake" Quote from Full Metal Jacket movie.

Sorry I could resist seeing the black snake reference.

If you saw the movie you're probably laughing.

Thanks for your responses.

I'll take a stab at the branch that's down and leave the base for nature to take down.

The tree ends at the top of that picture for those who were wondering and that "black snake" is a rain gutter extension from newly seeded lawn.

Thanks

Andy

 

[Wood Duck]

I would leave a large, rotten tree like that standing. It probably has lots of holes in it for wildlife, and might not be good firewood anyway. I see lots of smaller, live trees in the photo that could be selectively thinned to allow the ones left standing to grow faster.

 

[savageactor7]

andy OK then I thought it was a full sized tree...yeah take it down.