Flop or top?

[Buddy]

The motel owner in town wants me to remove a spruce tree that sits in the parking lot. This working around asphalt driveways and parking lots makes me nervous because I haven't worked around it enough to know what it will handle. I will provide some pictures if you guys wouldn't mind providing your opinion on whether I should just fall this thing or climb it and take it down a small piece at a time. It is not very big, guessing 70' tall and 16" dbh. What do you think?

Oh ya, it's the one in the middle and I apologize for the sideways pictures.

 

[SeanKroll]

Spruce is strong, flexible wood. Bet it would lay down soft enough, if the parking lot is reasonably solid.

Since its sorta limb-locked, I'd consider a pull rope, rather than wedging. A little thicker hinge might slow it down.

90* Open-face-cut will keep the butt/ lower end wood up off the asphalt, and make limbing easier. Did some spruce that way today.

 

[SeanKroll]

I've only used cold-patch once on a driveway, when the tip of the top snagged in another tree, sending the top of the tree butt-first, like a spear. Punched a clean 6" hole.

 

[Buddy]

I figured with as many small diameter limbs as it has that it would cushion the landing, but I had to ask. Thank you from one Shawn to another.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Hard to clearly tell from a photo, but the size and weight doesn't look potentially damaging. Agree on Sean's thought with a thicker hinge.

 

[Buddy]

Sounding better all the time.

The pictures make it look somewhat limb locked but isn't. It would be an easy wedge but screwing this tree up in the middle of town with onlookers... that would be bad!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Even without being limb-locked, a pull rope could probably get it to go over slowly with a thicker hinge, where without pulling it you'd be needing to cut more to initiate the fall.

I'm not sure the application for that job, but there is no reason why you can't use a pulling device as a holding tool as well, if it's within the device's weight capacity. That's where a Tirfor is so cool with it's ability to release easily in very controlled measured increments.

 

[MasterBlaster]

From what I can see, I wouldn't climb it.

 

[sotc]

I'd fall the other two, not sure about that middle one. Adding confusion to the mix

 

[Grendel]

Meh. . . I'd probably climb it, just cause.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Whatever you do, it's easy money.

;=)

 

[Mick!]

Yes, if you have a decent chipper and a groundy, it's sometimes easier to strip it on the way up, stopping every now and then to let the man on the ground catch up, or rappel down to help the guy.

Seems slower than a straight fell but, like the tortoise and the hare, less raking, easier work than breaking up a tree that's all broken branches and the trunk off the ground.

As Butch says, either way it's a doddle.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The heck is a doddle?

 

[Brock Mayo]

Related question, what cutting tricks do folks have to slow down a tree's fall for a soft landing? I'm guessing a Jerry b redwood cut (can't remember the name) combined with an open face and a pull rope to keep the holding wood thick as well as tall? Is there anything that can noticeably slow the tree's fall?
BTW, I'm thinking cut it from the ground...

 

[Mick!]

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/doddle

Dick van Dyke would have used it in Mary Poppins.

Still in current usage, but a bit archaic for the yoof.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Undercut the limbs that will hit the ground first so the tree will slowly collapse upon itself.

Beware of pinching your saw.

 

[TreeMuggs]

Just flop 'er. I've laid down a few old tires on asphalt before if I'm really worried about it. Spruce rarely does damage when it comes over, so many little branches to spead the load.

 

[flushcut]

I'd fall the other two, not sure about that middle one. Adding confusion to the mix

^Yep.

In my experience nice green spruce full canopied ones lay down soft but dead ones with dry limbs tend to spear the ground. Maybe flop the two and then flop the middle on top of the outside two.

Make a big ole cluster F but then again what are they paying you to do? Did they hire a climber or a logger? So for me it was how it was bid.

 

[Buddy]

Ha, it's just starting to turn red and there are still a lot of green needles. It should still be plenty limber. The 2 outside spruce stay where they are. I like Willie's advice but I don't think I would get paid if I cut the healthy ones... I can fall it logger style or I can climb it like a climber (notice I said "like", I can do it but I'm still not a pro like most of you folks).

I will catch you guys up on what I'm all about when I get enough time to sit down at the computer.

 

[Grendel]

Hell you could set up two catch lines triangulated off the adjacent trees and use a pull line to direct the fall. Even one line connected to both neighbors and attached via block or ring to the victim. Lay her over as soft as can be. Lot's of ways to skin that cat. I like the dismantle it into it's own footprint idea myself. . .

 

[Buddy]

Dismantle would be good advertisement.

 

[ianwhite]

Doing it to make a couple bucks and get on to the next job, I'd flop it. High visibility area and newish to business, I'd climb it and set the trucks up in the best way to show off the signage to passerby's. I've seen spruce where a lot of the times if you see somebody put a conventional face in it, it will stop at 45 degrees when being felled as the face closes. 90 degree face, leave a thick hinge and pull it over. I guess the thing is.... a lot of the times if I'm going to put a rope in a spruce I gotta hop in the bucket or climb it anyway. If you're already going through that process, and taking that time, maybe you might as well brush it out and chunk it down while you're there? I initially thought I had an opinion... Guess it just depends. Haha. I'm sure that was very helpful! Hahaha. Good luck

 

[greengreer]

Notch it and watch it!
(Actually a tag line would let you keep a thicker hinge, as was said before.)

 

[Raj]

Dismantle half way up and use limbs for a crash pad. +1 on MA pull line and thick hinge.

 

[Buddy]

No matter how I do it, all your suggestions are good ones. It gives me plenty of options to consider and techniques to ponder. Thank you all for your responses.