Going to fell eucalyptus. Need some advice and experience.

Uldis

Uldis

Hey all members,
An opportunity has aroused for me to do some eucalyptus felling abroad. The problem is that I don't know much about the material properties of the eucalyptus, as we don't have it where I live (Latvia), so I wanted to ask arborists who have felled them (dry ones from watering issues) some questions:
1) What is the wood like (strength and elasticity, hardness, weight, fragility) and which tree (lime, oak, maple, birch, pine, fir, Taxus, alder etc.) would be similar to it considering these characteristics (it is just I have felled them so I could draw some analogies)?
2) Some do's and don't with section rigging of them (things that have to be definately avoided or maybe are obligatory)
Thanks in advance for answers!
Have a nice weekend!
 
I have limited experience with them, but I have done some pruning for relatives in CA. The wood does not hinge very well at all; it just snaps and falls with gravity. The bark can be an inch thick and spongy, witch can cause a throw line to dig in and get stuck. When I first saw Eucalyptus, I thought a throw line would glide through crotches similar to sycamore. Not the case. The wood is heavy and brittle. Other than that they are fun to climb.
 
Thanks, Treezybreez, for reply. The brittle part is what worries me as I have never cut it before. Guess will start with smaller pieces and different cuts to see how it responds and then move to bigger pieces.
 
okay Uldis first up there are different kinds of Euc so lets narrow that part down.
smooth barks - thin smooth will tear the bark/ thick smooth will tear thickly and then shatter the bark
rough barks - thin rough bark will tear short / thick rough bark will not tear
really thick bark will dull your chain before you get to the wood proper especially ironbark
the hinge timber will depend on the bark type ) this is very general some pics to work off would help)
a thin smooth bark will hinge long and splinter and hang on the hinge too long
a thick smooth bark will have a dense fibre hinge that will hang on till almost nothing is left.
a thin rough bark hinges very nicely
a thick rough bark hinges very nicely
a thick bark will be brittle and shatter
any thin bark whether smooth or rough wing cut.
hope that helps.
 
Yesterday fell two of the eucs. they are completely dry and cutting them is exactly like dry Ulmus laevis - in means of strenght, weight, hardiness, hinge action.
 
Foliage is concentrated in the end of the branches in most species so they are pleasant to climb. On the other hand they are large and heavy. You want to be fit to take them on.

I now realise you say felling. Does that mean you don't have to climb them? Is it forestry or urban? It can be tricky to judge where their weight is taking them.

You also really need to watch out for drop bears in the canopy. If they land on you, well... we don't usually talk about that.

Stihlmadd said:
e.nicholi the narrow leafed peppermint gum is my personal favourite.:ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
...one of the worst for branch drop when dry, in my opinion.
 
did I tell ya about the time I was nearly 'golden showered' by a bloody drop bear.
I was redirecting my throw line and had stopped to bag up the loose line with all the cow pats around I wasn't keen on spooling onto the ground.
suddenly a large amount of yellow liquid poured out of the canopy above me and through true fortune had hit a limb lower down redirected and came down next to my left shoulder, minus a few stray drops I was untouched :ROFLMAO:
 
Stihlmadd said:
on a smooth bark limb or round if there is not a fork or bump to start or finish the tie with I will create some friction points in the timber to stop the rope sliding off before it can bind around the piece.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've had that, especially with E. trilliana, which we have enough of in this part of the country. When they get wet they get real slippery.
cadaghi bark.webp

Our local grey gums (three Eucalyptus species) aren't much better. I now just tie them tightly in a clove hitch and tie it off, but I think I'll learn from you and cut wedges out of them first from now on. I'd hate to have a branch or chunk of log from one land on a groundie. They wouldn't be getting up for a while, if ever.

I'm no gum tree specialist like you, though. I know you contract climbers would get some doozies, getting all the jobs the tree service business owners don't want to do themselves.

Oh, that photo in my avatar is some Brachychiton species, a Qld bottle tree. When it gets wet the sawdust and sap make everything like ice, but I guess those are another subject...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Kask Stihl NORTHEASTERN Arborists Wesspur TreeStuff.com Teufelberger Westminster X-Rigging Teufelberger
Back
Top Bottom