Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
Sweet pick!
Today....
- Thread starter Mark Chisholm
- Start date
Treemuel
Branched out member
- Location
- Hancock, ME
Glory days of winter 
Looks like we had similar weather today. I was really feeling great after the recent days in the teens.
Very nice!
Those are actually some really good before/after shots in which the light is still reasonably similar. You did all the right things in all the right places. I often get b/a photos and the light is so different it’s hard to see the actual difference.
Snow has mostly melted, today was two very bushy firs against their lean and limb weight. Shot up a line, base-tie, rope puller, wedges and way fatter than normal hinge for extra safety given the many targets just on the other side of the property line and I was working solo.
southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
Nice.
Were you fighting side weight?
Looked unpruned, so little risk of a hidden branch core hiding in the trunk, potentially in the hinge. Shaving bark allows good inspection.
If it was a lot to pull, consider gutting the hinge, a little to moderately and leaving strong corners on a strong, green doug-fir, at least after you have it in the run.
Were you fighting side weight?
Looked unpruned, so little risk of a hidden branch core hiding in the trunk, potentially in the hinge. Shaving bark allows good inspection.
If it was a lot to pull, consider gutting the hinge, a little to moderately and leaving strong corners on a strong, green doug-fir, at least after you have it in the run.
Shaving the bark is obviously good for wedging as well in your area. Do you guys often find hidden branch stubs when cutting hinges?
I imagine how I face White Pines up here…up in the canopy, the internodal lengths are pretty consistent and clear. It would be odd to find one unless cutting at a node. I can imagine it much easier to come across one in super mature bark areas where nodes are less visible.
Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
Yea, I had a super weird leaner next to a house the other day- an enormous black oak that died in a fire in 2020- and I wanted to leave as much to steer it, so it turned out thusly
hard side lean with a lot of weight on the opposite side of the desired lay. I set up so many ropes and pulleys, that we got it on the mark with one man pulling the last pull while I gutted the hinge.
southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
Would a full- width bore cut or two (triple hinge) have given you more flex?
I pulled a lot of maple stump regrowth trunk s today with full gap faces, which bent over the whole 3" vertical hinge, giving far better hinging than bigleaf maple is known for having.
Lotta tree folding !
I pulled a lot of maple stump regrowth trunk s today with full gap faces, which bent over the whole 3" vertical hinge, giving far better hinging than bigleaf maple is known for having.
Lotta tree folding !
Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
I forgot about multiple hinges!! I have done it before, but it was all working according to plan, so I didn't think anymore about it. I have used that trick before though, and will probably think of it more readily the next time the situation comes up. It probably would have given me more peace of mind with how old and rotten the hingewood was on that oak.
The downhill side of the two trees had more limb weight (sunny side of the trees) and I had to fell them uphill to stay on the customers property, and both (one a lot more than the other) had a good lean 90* from where I needed them to go. Below the natural lean was the property line, power transformer and meter, gazebo, ornamental trees, etc. Since I was working solo and having to walk up and down the hill to cut, wedge, pull, cut, wedge, pull, etc, I just decided to play it extra safe leaving the fat hinge all the way across. Especially since I had to spend so much time away from the stump unable to watch/listen while I was uphill at the puller. I was able to get command of it without too much fight with the high pull and alternating between a lot of wedges, but I certainly would have been a lot more aggressive on the hinge if I was working together with someone.
I do gut hinges when felling bare sticks especially, and almost always shave the bark when doing critical wedging. Sometimes just at the back if using fewer wedges, sometimes all the way around to see better and often to skinny it up to reach all the way through. It's pretty rare to find hidden branch stubs when felling dougs though, as they almost never have branches that low to the ground.
southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
But when they do...
Depends on the growing situation. A property line tree that has been raised up after a long while of being 'wild' is a suspect for branch cores in the hinge. As you say, rare, but always something to consider.
When solo, a person can redirect back behind the stump for the puller. I understand that solo- struggle. Being able to watch and listen to the tree when pulling, and keeping wedges tight with the pull can be a help that is possible when its all happening at the stump.
Depends on the growing situation. A property line tree that has been raised up after a long while of being 'wild' is a suspect for branch cores in the hinge. As you say, rare, but always something to consider.
When solo, a person can redirect back behind the stump for the puller. I understand that solo- struggle. Being able to watch and listen to the tree when pulling, and keeping wedges tight with the pull can be a help that is possible when its all happening at the stump.
Serf Life
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Maine Island
Well put. Generally delete my prune photos as they’re difficult to get right. Kuddos @Neill !
Serf Life
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Maine Island
Sizwheels generally engage for us with oaks, even dead ones like that. Sizwheel and a side lines/stay will steer the worst of them
Treezybreez
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Lancaster, SC
Sometimes that’s the best way. I dropped a dead pine top over a palm and into the lake one time, because lowering it would have damaged the palm. Plus it’s more fun. ; )
Among a bunch of other things, we hung a very dead woods Red Oak (slender but pretty tall) in a well aligned Span Rig. Just like the good old days! Walked the butt a good 30’ away from the stump and barely squeezed it into the lay. The first pic is a vertical pano…hopefully it displays properly.
