"Swimming hole" tree - canker/rust/scale/blight?

[Blinky]

I'm guessin that you want to be using a strong pull rope in the descend and then pull scenario. You don't want to be climbing it again.

Yep, because you have to leave enough hinge so that it's stable while you descend and get away from it. That hinge can be hard to break, you definitely want MA like a 5:1 or a bobcat that will take up rope without letting it spring back and go over the wrong side. Doesn't hurt to have a man on the pull line the whole time in case it breaks early.

I killed a fence last week with a leaning dead sycamore stem that broke early. It popped when my groundie took in the slack after I faced it... fell straight down.

 

[Frans]

Man, thats a scary/dangerous method.
Kind of like leaving your climb line up high, going down and making a face cut, then taking your climb line down and making the back cut.

The reason why I never 'leave work undone' like what your describing is because I ask myself, 'hey if I leave this half cut and come down, what would happen if I decide to leave like if an emergency comes up'?

Then that tree would be perched just waiting to fall...

 

[pantheraba]

The reason why I never 'leave work undone' like what your describing is because I ask myself, 'hey if I leave this half cut and come down, what would happen if I decide to leave like if an emergency comes up'?

Then that tree would be perched just waiting to fall...

And THAT is a heckuva thought...thanks.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

The last couple of dead oaks I did I guyed Gary .... Just in case when I took the tops, something would hold it up if the base or roots gave... Just a thought.... Did it with two guy lines triangulated behind the tree opposite the lean...

 

[pantheraba]

Got it on the guying. I have done that before, too. I plan to dig around the base/roots some to see how they are doing...that will help decide a course of action, also.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I did the checking and still guyed them just as an extra to the forces I would be adding to the tree from topping them... Also made sure I had plenty of rope on the guys through friction devices so the tree could be lowered slowly if necessary.... Or even raised if necessary... The targets had not gone anywhere

 

[wiley_p]

The last couple of dead oaks I did I guyed Gary .... Just in case when I took the tops, something would hold it up if the base or roots gave... Just a thought.... Did it with two guy lines triangulated behind the tree opposite the lean...

Something to remember when "guying" a tree, is you have to treat it as if you are setting up a tower, hence oscillation needs to be prevented which means guys are spaced around the circumference of the tower. supporting one side does not prevent failure in the opposite direction.

 

[wiley_p]

Man, thats a scary/dangerous method.
Kind of like leaving your climb line up high, going down and making a face cut, then taking your climb line down and making the back cut.

The reason why I never 'leave work undone' like what your describing is because I ask myself, 'hey if I leave this half cut and come down, what would happen if I decide to leave like if an emergency comes up'?

Then that tree would be perched just waiting to fall...

It's much more exposed than that Frans.

 

[wiley_p]

Speaking of a proper spear cut Gary. Can you just dump this punky bitch back in the woods, if it hangs up no big deal unhang it, hell it might make it to the ground. Certainly much less exposure for you.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Totally understood and I agree Wiley ...
The two I make reference to were at such a lean (head leaners) as they would not be able to fall opposite to the lean so I eliminated the extra guy. Did not feel it necessary. But yes.. normally it would have to be like a tower..

 

[darkstar]

IMO it looks totally safe .

So are we correct in calling it a tulip pop.
Or should we just refer to it as a tulip tree .

 

[SkwerI]

If it's too dead and brittle to climb, then forget all the stupid games and throw it towards the pool. You can pick the little dead brittle tips out of the water.

Or if it's too strong to drop in the pool and you think it will hurt the deck, then it's strong enough to climb. Get your butt up there and top it out. One or the other, it's just a tree.

 

[pantheraba]

Or if it's too strong to drop in the pool and you think it will hurt the deck, then it's strong enough to climb. Get your butt up there and top it out. One or the other, it's just a tree.

hahaha...no way...it'll be more fun to draw this out another week or so and drive you totally nutz!!!

Ideally, I get to dropz it on Tuesday...I'll try not to drag out this torture too long.

Hey, Wiley...can't go backwards...wires there too.

 

[Blinky]

Man, thats a scary/dangerous method.
Kind of like leaving your climb line up high, going down and making a face cut, then taking your climb line down and making the back cut.

The reason why I never 'leave work undone' like what your describing is because I ask myself, 'hey if I leave this half cut and come down, what would happen if I decide to leave like if an emergency comes up'?

Then that tree would be perched just waiting to fall...

It's definitely not ideal, it's an approach to a problem you can't solve another way.

It all happens pretty quick once the ropes are set. Once you make the face you're committed in the same way you're committed after making a face for a falling cut, you can't leave until the wood is on the ground. Coming down is the iffy part.

 

[No_Bivy]

no powder option?
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[CurSedVoyce]

Probably get the pool too dirty....

 

[woodworkingboy]

Then there is cable, which would probably allow more wood left in the hinge to allow a safer descent. I don't really want to start the cable vs rope discussion again.

 

[Frans]

depends on the bid what to do IMO. Low ball bid just cut the sucker down and get on with your day.

 

[Paul B]

IMO it looks totally safe .

So are we correct in calling it a tulip pop.
Or should we just refer to it as a tulip tree .

Dark, call it a Liriodendron tulipifera and everyone will know what it is.

 

[treelooker]

Dark, call it a Liriodendron tulipifera and everyone will know what it is.

There ya go; the scientific term works for all regional dialects.

Once there was a letter to the editor about usage of "tulip poplar" in an article, saying it was the wrong common name to use. I thought wtf 2000+ words go out to 20,000 people and this is all the response we get? Why bother?

O well be safe gary and look out for tan dusty or esp. black bumpy stuff near the base. did that tree have leaves last year? year before?

 

[pantheraba]

O well be safe gary and look out for tan dusty or esp. black bumpy stuff near the base. did that tree have leaves last year? year before?

?Leaves last year?...don't know. I haven't gotten a clear answer yet about how long ago they noticed it was dead...probably just this year. When I finally got them to start looking up into the trees with the intention of seeing things they realized they had some problems.

Thanks for the "lookout" info.

 

[pantheraba]

It's done and down...Brian, you can ease back now, I won't drag it out any longer...or will I?

I got the OK to do the deed today at 5:00 when they closed for the day...started loading up the truck about 3:00, sharpening saws, gas/oil, etc...on site about 4:45. I excavated some roots and found most to be pretty sound, still very solid...I did find a punky one on the back side which got my attention.

Alex did a core drilling at about 4 feet and near the ground...good wood came out with the auger.

We set up a transport tightening system (Z-drag) with a stanchion across the pool for the far anchor (a big I-beam with a nice eye welded to the top). We put a pretty bodacious pull on the tree and couldn't break the top out so that was a good sign.

 

[pantheraba]

One of the first limbs to be cut needed to stay close to the tree...a spear cut did that fine. My plan was to move the pull line up the trunk pretty high to have some insurance that the top didn't try to go towards the high tension wires.

I learned today not to run the end of the line thru a spliced eye for a pull line. I should have used a biner. I had to pull slack in the pull line so that I could unchoke the pull line to advance it up the tree...using a biner would have let me unclip the line and advancing up would have been a lot simpler.

Anyway, I took about a 25 foot top, a 15-18 foot section and then dropped the 30 foot spar from the ground. All of it went well, just really hot..lotsa sweating going on.

When we did the spear cut Alex cleared the pool in case the limb did not cooperate and managed to get into the HT lines. There were some after hours swimming lessons going on...they were out of the water just a few minutes.

We used 55 gallon plastic trash barrels (on site, empty, ready for use tomorrow) to protect the decorative concrete barrier around the natural area...good thing, too. We would have definitely destroyed some of it if we had not.

All that's left now is to deadwood 4 nearby trees which should be enjoyable.

 

[treesandsurf]

Nice hinge Gary! Glad it came down safely.

jp

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Very cool Gary.... Definitely solid wood.