Big dead pine has to go

[Bermy]

Ok, the biggest, deadest tree I have ever come across!

It's a radiata pine, been dead for some years. The top branches have broken off and are resting in the crotches about two thrids up. The height is approx 90'+ and the girth probably is about 4'.
So how will the hingewood be affected, does pine hold any strength at all after it is dead? If I go up to clear out some branches, how tough is dead pine?

The plan is to cut the lower big fat branches off, maybe clear the hangers, put a pulling rope in it, attach a big piece of machinery to it, and then get a proper tree faller to fell it into the neighbour's paddock, then cut it up.
The HO owns a sawmill and loads of big machinery.

Sorry if the picture is not that good...

 

[woodworkingboy]

That is a big one. Our removals are mostly Pine. How long dead makes a big difference in the wood's soundness, and how long dying. That large Pine in the temple was putting out some green up to last year, but after removing the top and seeing the large hole, I wouldn't have considered it a suitable tree to climb, at least the upper portion. The lower three quarters of the tree was sound. Good luck with it and be safe, Fiona.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Dead pine doesn't hinge at all. I thought you already were a proper tree faller??? Don't miss an opportunity!

 

[treesmith]

Now is the time to implement the "stupid tax", which is what I call it when the homeowner waits til the tree is rotting before they decide to have something done about it.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

If you have a big piece of iron on it, its not like you have to beat it into submission with wedges or jack it over, just aim and pull the trigger.

Do you have to make it narrower to fit into a narrow lay that you want to climb and limb it under widowmakers?

 

[flushcut]

If you have the room splat that sucker. I would not expect any hinge affect and stump shot is going to be your friend.

 

[Old Monkey]

If the bark is starting to crack and slip off, the hinge wood will be powdery. Making it go in a direction other than the lean would be dicey.

 

[sotc]

Bore it and see how the wood is. Keep your eyes up

 

[Burnham]

Definitely watch out overhead. Climbing doesn't sound like the best choice, but who here looking at a picture can say better than you there looking at the tree?

 

[squisher]

I hate dead pines. Charge thick. Hell charge enough that everyone of us who posted in this thread could get a consulting fee ontop of the outrageous money you'll make for doing the job.

 

[Labour of Love]

If the bark is starting to crack and slip off, the hinge wood will be powdery. Making it go in a direction other than the lean would be dicey.

A few years ago I took down a good-sized Dade County pine (P. elliotti var. densa, South Florida slash pine) that had been standing dead for 5 or 6 years. It shattered into (literally) hundreds of pieces when it hit the ground. Made a helluva mess. I'm really glad I didn't have to climb it to set a rope to make sure it went where I wanted it to.

If the HO has equipment, have him lift you where necessary to work the fallen bits out.

 

[Bermy]

Yeah Butch, in my mind I can fell this tree, but the base is way bigger than any saw I have at present (max 18") and I'd hate to be fiddling around at the bottom with multiple bore cuts with such a little bar on a dead tree...if it were live, maybe.

The weight of the tree is right out into the paddock, (yay!) plenty of pulling room for a piece of machinery.
The thought about removing the lower branches is that they are big and fat and the tree would probably fall right on to them and if they didn't break it would then be sitting 10' up in the air balancing on them.
Unfortunately the one piece of machinery they don't have is a bucket or a lift! Should be no problem to hire one
I am also thinking of setting multiple pull lines, one to each large leader, then come together in the front to a main pull line, just to help distribute the load.

Stay tuned...this sucker has to go!

 

[Bermy]

I knew I had some more pictures...

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yeah, taking off those lower limbs should not be too bad. Stout bugger!

 

[Burnham]

Around here, a pine that still had that many fines on it would not have been dead so long that it wouldn't hinge adequately for a fell to the lean. That one has major limb weight, doesn't it!

 

[Bermy]

Sure does!
What do you mean by 'fines'?

 

[Burnham]

The small twigs and limblets.

 

[Bermy]

Ok, makes sense!
The is a bit of goo seeping out of the bottom. To the left of my hand in the first picture, you can see some dark staining

 

[Old Monkey]

I picked up a technique off of Butch of putting a face cut on the tops of branches and a little bit of an undercut. The idea is that when the tree falls, the branches break upward putting the trunk all he way on the ground. I have never tried it on anything that large though. I think even a bit of undercut could persuade that big lower branch to snap as it falls.

 

[Burnham]

Bet that would work, Darin.

 

[Bermy]

That had definitely crossed my mind too, but if I'm going to get up there to do that, I may as well take it off while I'm there....or if I think the cutting may dislodge some of the stuff up top, that would be my fall back for sure.

 

[Burnham]

Are you sure it's been dead "some years"? Because it just doesn't look that way to me. Any way, the less time it's had to deteriorate, the less likely stuff is to break out...though I know you said it had hung up broken parts already, which may render this point moot.

 

[forestryworks]

Dead pine will generally have heart rot, butt rot, root rot or a combination of all three.

Do like what'shisname said and bore in and see what you got.

All the dead pine I've ever cut had mostly all three of those rots. Some were as hard as a telephone pole. Even if the bark slabs off, you'll still find some that are stone solid. And dead pine will hold on the stump, just depends on what rots it's had and how it died and how long, etc.

Beware of heart rot though, it doesn't hold, and your falling cuts are more likely to come across heart rot areas.

Always watch the tops, they will fold on you and land near the stump.

 

[gf beranek]

I knew I had some more pictures...

wow the different perspectives sure show the tree different. That's a pretty gnarly stump. Indeed would be hard to whittle a felling cut with a short bar in that.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Fiona, maybe you could also try to break out some of the hung up limbs before climbing or felling it. Shoot a throw line in and pull some of the hangers out? Might serve you well to test the tops as well.