Comment on my plan

[samsquatch]

Going off your sketch, that's some major horizontal lean for the boxelder. How thick is the BE at your destined cut? This will determine what saw you'll want to use to make the cut quickly and avoid tip dive & butt-to-fence-smash.
If the BE is more green than it is crunchy, you won't be able to get much of an undercut without pinching your bar. Take nibbles in the undercut, and make it as deep as you can without pinching. Just saying, I see that sketch of the lean on the BE and I think "pinched bar". Pinching the bar in the situation where you're worried about the tip diving over a fence is just something you want to avoid, especially when you've got a sketchy PSP.

I like the idea of tip-tying the end of the dying BE into the taller BE, just to redirect the works if it does go south.

I've got another, more advanced idea (as long as you're looking for experience). In addition to tip tying the BE to the larger BE tree, consider running a zip line from the tall ash to the base of the taller BE, run it right by the butt of your cut. Tie a loop runner and clip the butt into the zip line. This way, you know the butt will avoid the fence. Unless the leaning BE is a monster (12in or larger) I wouldn't imagine you'd have too much zip line stress on the dead ash. Of course, if you had this fear, you could run (in addition to your basal life line tie on the far left) you could run a taut 9/16 rigging line from the zip line TIP in the ash to the base of the far left tree as well, just to help combat any sideways forces in the zip line.

Cheers

 

[Jehinten]

I see that sketch of the lean on the BE and I think "pinched bar". Pinching the bar in the situation where you're worried about the tip diving over a fence is just something you want to avoid, especially when you've got a sketchy PSP.

@dmonn I had the same thought as above, as well as with that much horizontal lean you may be in for a bit of a ride when you make that cut. Depending on how big and heavy the wood is beyond your cut. Is your plan to make it in one cut, or will you be climbing past that and making several smaller cuts and working your way back to that point?

 

[SomethingWitty]

I just got done with a 20" dbh boxelder. I don't climb many of them. That's a nasty, brittle tree.
I officially do not like them. Notches were pointless this morning.
I can't believe that it had so little storm damage in it.

 

[dmonn]

I plan on making it a one-cut trim, then remove the stem that's left. I'll definitely tip tie the BE. That seems like a great way to protect the fence. I think the geometry of the trees I have to work with will make that pretty easy to do. The zip line suggestion also sounds interesting. The piece of BE I'm going to cut won't be super heavy, and the zip line would sure help control the direction of the butt end. I also agree that BEs are brittle, annoying trees. However, after the emerald ash borer, BEs make up over half of the remaining trees in our woods, so for that I like them.

 

[colb]

I plan on making it a one-cut trim, then remove the stem that's left. I'll definitely tip tie the BE. That seems like a great way to protect the fence. I think the geometry of the trees I have to work with will make that pretty easy to do. The zip line suggestion also sounds interesting. The piece of BE I'm going to cut won't be super heavy, and the zip line would sure help control the direction of the butt end. I also agree that BEs are brittle, annoying trees. However, after the emerald ash borer, BEs make up over half of the remaining trees in our woods, so for that I like them.

I like them too, and they have shitty wood.