Scary thing

[sotc]

You don't seem concerned with losing timber in piecing them down. Is this a drop and lop job or are you trying to get value out of the wood?

 

[Blinky]

When the direction is sketchy (near vertical and still hungup) I try craning from another tree and taking sections off the bottom with slash cuts till it's free and then just lower the rest. Haven't done that in deep woods though. Carrying a porty and bull rope way in would suck.

 

[woodworkingboy]

You don't seem concerned with losing timber in piecing them down. Is this a drop and lop job or are you trying to get value out of the wood?

Embarrassed to say that the contract in this particular tract, calls for leaving the wood to rot once it's been bucked up into twelve foot sections. The market price for pine is way way down currently, relatively little new housing construction. Putting in roads to haul the timber wouldn't pay off, they say. We're not allowed to take it out ourselves. I'm leaving some trees to rot that are over a hundred years old, the wood in perfect healthy condition. All this in favor of the more valuable Cypress, young and growing for the future.

I don't really know what to think about it. We keep saying to each other, "Motinai", means what a waste.....

 

[Blinky]

By the time the cypress is ready to harvest there with be a shortage of pine and a glut of cypress. :roll:

 

[woodworkingboy]

Cypress will always be a favored material over Pine here. Jap Cypress, "Hinoki", is primo wood, the best Cypress in the world. The only thing that Pine has over it, is that Cypress tends to grow straight here, and the Pine can have big curved sections, which is favored for some types of traditional timber frame work. That work has become scarce, though.

It's unlikely too, that they will be wanting to use pine sap to fuel the naval ships again, like in WW2. :roll:

 

[Burnham]

How about a peavy or using a pole and strap or chain to give you the leverage to roll a hung one out, Jay? You know what I mean about the pole? Just carry the strap, short length of rope, or chain with you and cut a 10 or 12 foot pole as needed for the handle.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Making up a peavy type tool to give more leverage, that is an excellent idea. Some hang ups tend to be borderline, I can move him a bit with my arms, but not enough to go over. The tool that you mention would remedy that situation. I pretty much work at my own pace at this job, there is time to experiment, and lots of situations to chose.

Thanks for the idea, Burnham.

Saving gasoline, most of the old timers carry what they call a nata with them, on their belt, for hacking off the smaller limbs. Watching them work, it seems to be a habit to use it, a good one I think. I have one, just don't pull it out much. Pretty powerful little tool, and available in different sizes. Looks like this:

 

[Blinky]

I've rolled a couple of hangups by plunge cutting a hole through the trunk and then sticking a pole through it to get leverage. It's only worth a 1/3 of a turn or so before you have to re-position.

 

[Ed L]

I'm guessing that this is what you are leaving (or similar) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis_obtusa

Unfortunately, I'm not able to offer any suggestions to help you out. Felling hardwoods in a forest is a very similar problem, especially one that is not properly managed. It does get worse since you can hang up in a crotch rather easily, making mechanical removal (tractor & cable) the only way out.
Sometimes it's just easier to rig the damn tree and pull it where you want it.

Ed

 

[Al Smith]

One way with a hardwood is to wrap a log chain a few times around the base and roll them off with some power if you can get to them . I suppose you could do same with a pine too but I never hung a pine seeings as I've only tripped about a dozen of them .

 

[woodworkingboy]

That's the species, Ed. Very fragrant aroma wood as well, and takes on a beautiful sheen when worked. During better times, a good large tree fetched a king's ransom. Makes a great bathing tub.

 

[rumination]

How about a peavy or using a pole and strap or chain to give you the leverage to roll a hung one out, Jay? You know what I mean about the pole? Just carry the strap, short length of rope, or chain with you and cut a 10 or 12 foot pole as needed for the handle.

That's a great idea, Burnham. I'll be remembering that.

 

[Cobleskill]

I did that last winter on a black cherry that got hung. It took me a while to get the chain on so it worked, but one little twist and down it came.