To fell a tree amongst other trees.

[Emdiesse]

Hi,

How do you fell a tree amongst other trees? I only ask because the tree surgeons outside my house do it by:

1. One guy cuts the base of a large cherry tree with a chainsaw whilst the other pushes the large tree in the direction he wants it to not fall
2. Then they both push
3. Then they shout and a guy comes over with a climbing rope and he proceeds to chuck the rope at the tree foiled many times by overhead branches (a few other guys come over to chat, consult?)
5. Once the rope is over they pull the tree with a tracked vehicle used to make chippings
6. Once it's fallen into the arms of the surrounding trees (still being held up by the branches of the other trees) they limb it with the chainsaw held high above their head and the limbs fall one by one from the trunk and stay still supported by the other trees.
7. Attack each free standing limb as you would the tree until the tree is successfully felled.

So, I have no knowledge of felling trees so I am not here to judge, but I wonder if there are safer and more efficient methods but I suppose they probably take more time. I have seen a similar sized willow tree felled with no surrounding trees and there were two guys doing it. One went up the tree with a rope and lopped off all the small branches then he went up again and from the top up took off manageable chucked with his chainsaw which was attached to him with a rope and stopped whenever he let go. I can't remember seeing these chunks fall from he top to the floor I think he also lashed so rope onto these to stop that. Then he worked his way down the tree before felling manageable 7-8 foot high trunk.

Anyway, I watched todays episode all with the Benny Hill theme playing behind me.

To fulfil my own desire to learn how to do this, how should it be done or is the Benny Hill approach the best way?

Oh, and I'm not here to rant and rave about this (only really to hear how it should be done for my own desire to learn and also to hear similar comical stories of work you have observed) because if anything I can imagine what has happened is the council have said we want some trees clearing and asked for a quote from several companies and then beaten them all down on their quotes and then chosen the lowest quote and beaten it down some more and the guys out there working are trying to do it quick to actually make it worth their time.

 

[swright81076]

Did they look a little like these?

touched by nature

 

[Emdiesse]

Oh yeah, that's them! I distinctly remember them both pushing the tree in opposite directions at one point!

Did they look a little like these?

 

[Emdiesse]

Good by ol' Cherry, you, your blossom, your fruits and the wildlife you brought to the copse near our garden will be missed.

 

[Squidders]

We did have a big debate about how chainsaws should be left to the professionals recently... hmmm.

(Yes that was trolling - sorry!)

 

[British Red]

<chuckle>

Just take it down in sections would seem a more logical approacj ...it may of course been unsafe....hard to know

I'd have phoned Squidders cos I'm not allowed anything bugger than a Laplander now . Although from the original post these were tree surgeons

 

[Perrari]

Doesnt sound very safe or professional !

 

[bambodoggy]

Hello,

Speaking as a tree surgeon I would just like to point out there is a difference between a Tree Surgeon who is trained and qualified to carry out jobs like this and 'others' who pick up a chainsaw, call themselves Tree Surgeons and hack away at trees...sounds like the people discussed below come into the later catagory.

If the tree is safe to fell but may need assistance then using a rope to help pull the tree is a good idea BUT the rope should be up the tree and secure before any cutting is undertaken. Other tools that might help in this is the use of a felling level/bar, use of wedges and sometimes but not as much the use of hydraulic jacks.

If the tree is not safe to fell then we would do a sectional dismantle which is roughly what you describe with the chap climbing up and down the tree cutting it down a bit at a time....obviously there's more to it than that but in a nut shell you have got the idea.

The choice on whether to fell or dismantle is one for the Tree Surgeon to make depending on local factors.

As a side point chainsaws used on the ground are NOT to be used above shoulder height.

Hope that helps a bit....gotta run now as on my lunch break and I've got 6 more trees to fell this afternoon, one of which will need climbing and dismantling oh and there's only two of us here....and we've done 5 already this morning....all Ash and Holly trees of about 18" diameter at the base.
Cheers,

Bam.

 

[Squidders]

Bam - I bet you haven't left the ground all day

 

[santaman2000]

....As a side point chainsaws used on the ground are NOT to be used above shoulder height......

So you're saying tree surgeons know better than real loggers? www.youtube.com/watch?v=db1nexOvYYs Although I'm still trying to figure out just why they wanted to top that one before cutting it down.

 

[mrcharly]

Is there any way of holding a chainsaw above head height in such a way that the chain brake will be activated if it kicks back?

The blokes described in the OP sound like darwin award candidates to me. Pushing at the base!??! I guess they've never seen a tree split off on the opposite side from the initial cut.

 

[Squidders]

They are different skills. Tree surgeons vs. loggers is like medical surgeons vs. executioners... sure, both people cut other people and i'm sure both groups are proud of their skill and trade but they're not really similar are they santaman?

 

[santaman2000]

They are different skills. Tree surgeons vs. loggers is like medical surgeons vs. executioners... sure, both people cut other people and i'm sure both groups are proud of their skill and trade but they're not really similar are they santaman?

That's my point actually. One's real; the other's cosmetic.

Not sure how you'd consider logging 'execution?' My land has been logged at least 6 times during my lifetime (56 years) Never a clear cut operation though (apart from one section that had to be clear cut as a salvage after Hurricane Katrina knocked down everything in a particular hollow) It's still a healthy forest with plenty of old growth Southern Yellow Pine, Southern Red Oaks, and Hickory. And one of the few remaining healthy populations of Fox Squirrel (the huge red or black squirrels often over 6 pounds)

 

[Emdiesse]

Unfortunately there seem to be a lot of potentially dodgy ones around, several years back a tree in a house nearby that had some nesting birds in it disappeared one day (or so I was told by a friend). Those guys taint the name of the real tree surgeons. For the benefit of people who may be looking for real tree surgeons, what should you look for?

 

[santaman2000]

I'd think references might be a start.

 

[tomongoose]

they should have chainsaw and tree climbing tickets have insurance (most handyman and gardener's insurance does not cover trees above 5 meters) and they are generally part of a scheme like buy with confidence or bali etc

 

[stuey]

Is there any way of holding a chainsaw above head height in such a way that the chain brake will be activated if it kicks back?

The chain brake on modern saws is activated by inertia. It does not require any physical contact with the front hand guard to activate the chain brake in a true kickback situation.
The front hand guard also happens to be the manual mechanism of activating the chainbrake when required, to enable safer manoevering of the saw when in use.
It is more than likely that the chainbrake would activate in a kickback situation even with the saw held over head height.

 

[Jared]

So you're saying tree surgeons know better than real loggers? www.youtube.com/watch?v=db1nexOvYYs Although I'm still trying to figure out just why they wanted to top that one before cutting it down.

Ah from Ax Men. Probably the funniest on the job reality TV show atm. Shelby Stanga has me in stitches.

 

[santaman2000]

Ah from Ax Men. Probably the funniest on the job reality TV show atm. Shelby Stanga has me in stitches.

LOL. I'll admit they're not the best examples.

 

[Jared]

Is there any way of holding a chainsaw above head height in such a way that the chain brake will be activated if it kicks back?

The blokes described in the OP sound like darwin award candidates to me. Pushing at the base!??! I guess they've never seen a tree split off on the opposite side from the initial cut.

Barber's chair.