I am already three years ahead and now this....

[Diabel]

And some more pics

Started limbing

And cutting. Rooky mistake! A pinch on a first cut




The crown was held up on the bottom branches and the uphill. Eventually the cut sections dropped and I started working my way down, both trunks

I was worried about this sapling a bit

Five minutes later....

 

[Diabel]

I had to head back to town. Will take the trunks down next time.
It was a fun job!

 

[warno]

That's crazy that both trees went down like that but I find it funny they stood back up just the same.

Good job being safe with it.

 

[volunbeer]

Nice work and beautiful woods - jealous of the hardwood and wish we had some around here. Glad you got that done safely - had to be a little bit of pucker factor because that is a lot of weight!

 

[billb3]

Are those white (female) gypsy moths on the base of the tree trunk on the left ?

 

[Ashful]

Double blow-down! Wow. Is it hung up in other trees? If not, I'd probably start taking material off the tops of both trees working down toward the roots. Clearing limbs first then bucking the trunk in 5' sections. If it wants to go back to vertical you'll start to see that gradually as you work toward your way to the base. Also, you'll be working clear of most of the reach of the trees should any movement be a concern .

I've cut literally 40+ cords of blow-down from super-storm Sandy, almost all stuff 2x - 3x larger than this. Going top-down always sounds good on paper, but it's not really practical. I'd be doing it exactly as Jags describes.

Remember, there's no shame in using your pole saw for the first trunk cut, if it has enough bar to make it from both sides. It keeps me 12 feet away from any surprises or shifts, although I don't see that being a huge issue here.

If it begins to stand up during the first cut, get on the throttle and finish the cut fast. They don't stand up very fast with that sort of weight cantilevered out there, and hesitating or backing away will leave you with an unbelievable dangerous mess on your hands, DAMHIKT.

It always helps having a spotter with cool nerves, to flag you if something really doesn't look good. For example, not my wife, who would be screaming at the first inconsequential shift.

 

[Diabel]

Nice work and beautiful woods - jealous of the hardwood and wish we had some around here. Glad you got that done safely - had to be a little bit of pucker factor because that is a lot of weight!

Thanks
These two are hemlocks (pine family I believe). Not the best wood for burning in the dead of winter, but it does fine in the fall/spring burning. I do have lots of soft/hard maple, beech and yellow birch on this property.

 

[Diabel]

Are those white (female) gypsy moths on the base of the tree trunk on the left ?

No, I don't think I noticed any moths. The only things flying around were wood chips from my saw.

 

[Diabel]

No, I don't think I noticed any moths. The only things flying around were wood chips from my saw.

I did want to use Jag's approach, but in the end I figured, either way the stuff needs to be bucked and split. I am not sure if Jag's way would save any time.

I sure appreciate everyone input and comments.

 

[firefighterjake]

So when the tree trunks stood back up was it a slow movement vertically or fast?

 

[Diabel]

Slow. You really notice whey it starts to stand up. Plenty of time to step away.
That is why starting from the crown down is the safest in my opinion. I consider myself a rooky in this field, always will be since I cut maybe three to four trees a year.

 

[Jeffm1]

I would

Bottom first . . . and I would personally work it slowly from the top . . . since there is a chance that as weight is removed from the bottom tree being cut that the top tree and root ball could slowly (or quickly) pop back up to the "standing tree position" (new yoga position). As mentioned, cutting the bottom tree would also get everything out of the way so no hang ups.

In any case, just be very careful . . . plan your work . . . keep stepping back to analyze everything and be prepared for movement.

I am with you. I would work it from the top of the tree back to the base. My log lengths I cut to are 18". So I would start on the bottom one, take 18" off then take 18" off the top one, then 18" off the bottom and alternate back and forth a little at a time occasionally turning my saw off and setting it down to see if I would feel the trunk and when equilibrium is being approached and if it was about to snap back up. Just stand clear as you cut in case it does snap back. Err on the side of caution because this has the potential to cause nasty injuries. Take your time, think it through and don't rush. I am not a professional but that's what I would do.

 

[firefighterjake]

Slow. You really notice whey it starts to stand up. Plenty of time to step away.
That is why starting from the crown down is the safest in my opinion. I consider myself a rooky in this field, always will be since I cut maybe three to four trees a year.

Kinda figured that's what it would do . . . slowly start to go up if you were cutting off the top a bit at a time . . . and while I am no expert . . . this is the way I would have tackled this tree as well . . . slowly let the root balls' weight pull the tree back up by bucking it up a piece at a time.

Glad things worked out well.

 

[7acres]

View attachment 182039 View attachment 182040 View attachment 182041
And some more pics

View attachment 182042 Started limbing

View attachment 182043 And cutting. Rooky mistake! A pinch on a first cut

View attachment 182047 View attachment 182049

View attachment 182051 View attachment 182052
The crown was held up on the bottom branches and the uphill. Eventually the cut sections dropped and I started working my way down, both trunks

View attachment 182054 I was worried about this sapling a bit

View attachment 182055 Five minutes later....

That just looks funny! If it were me I'd leave them there just like that for long enough to get a few quizzical glances from friends and family. I could hear my FIL now, "I don't get it. Why... why would you climb..."

 

[sportbikerider78]

Amazing they way they stand up. I never would have imagined that. I've never cut blow down.

Very interesting stuff.

 

[maple1]

I would have done it this exact same way. Top down, both at once.

I am working now on a bunch of maple blowdowns & breakoffs from Arthur (summer of 2014). I tackled one big one that fall, the same way. It slowly stood up when I got the trunk down to about 15'. (That's kind of neat to watch & experience). I still haven't gone back to get the trunk, that's on this falls list. Did another couple weeks ago, the one in my 'under rated tools' thread. Rootball only settled half way down after laying there for 2 years. Found another one last night that only blew over the last month or two - pretty sure it got weakened by Arthur. That's what I'm tackling next, maybe tonight, but I need to get a trail to it first. It should stand right back up as it hasn't been down that long. Sure makes cutting rounds easy (until it stands up), coming down from the top, with the trunk hanging in the air about waist height. I am finding more than I think I can get processed before they get too far gone - some are already starting to rot. Going to be busy between now & the snow.

You can really get some wood cut in a hurry though, with felling out of the equation.

 

[Diabel]

Almost done.
The fun part is over!!

 

[7acres]

Fun workout! Now you're way ahead (plenty of time to drag it out out/split and stack)! At least you have some shade in there. I loathe collecting firewood when it's hot and humid out. Where you live it must have been a nice brisk workout.

 

[Diabel]

Fun workout! Now you're way ahead (plenty of time to drag it out out/split and stack)! At least you have some shade in there. I loathe collecting firewood when it's hot and humid out. Where you live it must have been a nice brisk workout.

It was perfect 100*F with humidity! No bucking for me today!!
Lucky me, the lake is just down that path.