Removing the Pine Tree - Part I
Hurricane Ike left one of our big pine trees damaged. The top 20 feet had fallen out during the storm and our insurance company did not pay us for it's removal. The tree was left damaged from a lightning strike several years ago and a good portion of the trunk at the top was rotting and being hollowed out by woodpeckers. The tree is pretty close to our house and I knew by talking to neighbors that removal by a tree service was going to cost $1,000 or more. If we just let it stay with the damaged top it would deteriorate to the point where removal would be really tricky and cost a fortune as it would require a large crane for removal. Since I have a climbing background and am pretty handy with a chain saw I decided to purchase the equipment and do it myself. With the equipment I could take down additional trees for the same price. I would just have to haul the debris away myself.
Yesterday we took down the pool so I could get the tree work done. The tree top would have fallen right on the pool if it wasn't removed. It took me a while to don my climbing gear but then I could stall no longer. :-P
The tree is probably 80 feet after the top was taken out by the storm. Here is a view of it from behind the dog kennel in the back yard.
It has quite a large base. It is 68 inches in circumference at 5 foot high. Here is Brianna posing next to it.
Here is a view from the base looking up.
The first 20 feet up the tree was pretty bumpy and it took me quite a while to get there. By that point there was no turning back! By that time I was getting a better grasp on how to climb with the climbing spurs so my pace quickened. I had to stop several times before I arrived at the first branch (a big dead one) at around 50 feet.
Here I am sucking some big time wind once I sat on the limb and took a huge load off of my tired legs. (It takes quite a bit of effort on your legs below your knees to stand on the spurs.) I didn't care that the branch was dead and groaning under my weight! :P
The first big limb came off quickly and I was able to lower it to the ground by rope without incident. (Most of it was over the house!) Here is a video of that.
I cut about 3 other large limbs and lowered them in the same fashion. The last two were pretty high on the rotted parts of the trunk. This required me to fasten myself to the rotten area of the trunk while I tied the limb to the rope, cut it and have it's falling weight tax the rotten part of the tree as it hung on the rope. (Remember, I was attached to that part!!!) No cracks or creaks so all was well.
After removing all of the limbs I dared to, I returned to the dead branch to breath, heavily! I then moved into place for the big cut. I wrapped a second tether around the tree and also the rope so I could use a figure 8 rescue descender to repel down the rope after the cut, or be lowered down (by the neighbor on the ground) if I was injured and not able to do it myself.
So I started cutting on the non rotten part which left about 20 to 30 feet to fall to the ground. I had to aim carefully since there was not to big of an area between a neighboring tree and the garage.
This is a video of how it went.
Holy crap, the felling part of the top of the tree while you are tied to the trunk just below the cut is the worst part! I have done it (topped trees) 4 times before but this is about the biggest and certainly the HIGHEST! It fell just where I wanted it to without damaging the garage and minimal damage to the next tree.
I didn't even sustain a scratch! Here is a picture of the tree/stump after I repelled down.
Here is the debris after it was hauled to the road.
and here is the felling cut.
The wedge was a little deep but the natural lean of the tree helped it to fall in just the right spot. B)
I am very happy right now. :D I don't know if I will cut on the stump today. I am thinking I will be a little sore for that. If not today, I will go for it next Saturday. That part will be a whole lot less scary.
Yesterday we took down the pool so I could get the tree work done. The tree top would have fallen right on the pool if it wasn't removed. It took me a while to don my climbing gear but then I could stall no longer. :-P
The tree is probably 80 feet after the top was taken out by the storm. Here is a view of it from behind the dog kennel in the back yard.
It has quite a large base. It is 68 inches in circumference at 5 foot high. Here is Brianna posing next to it.
Here is a view from the base looking up.
The first 20 feet up the tree was pretty bumpy and it took me quite a while to get there. By that point there was no turning back! By that time I was getting a better grasp on how to climb with the climbing spurs so my pace quickened. I had to stop several times before I arrived at the first branch (a big dead one) at around 50 feet.
Here I am sucking some big time wind once I sat on the limb and took a huge load off of my tired legs. (It takes quite a bit of effort on your legs below your knees to stand on the spurs.) I didn't care that the branch was dead and groaning under my weight! :P
The first big limb came off quickly and I was able to lower it to the ground by rope without incident. (Most of it was over the house!) Here is a video of that.
I cut about 3 other large limbs and lowered them in the same fashion. The last two were pretty high on the rotted parts of the trunk. This required me to fasten myself to the rotten area of the trunk while I tied the limb to the rope, cut it and have it's falling weight tax the rotten part of the tree as it hung on the rope. (Remember, I was attached to that part!!!) No cracks or creaks so all was well.
After removing all of the limbs I dared to, I returned to the dead branch to breath, heavily! I then moved into place for the big cut. I wrapped a second tether around the tree and also the rope so I could use a figure 8 rescue descender to repel down the rope after the cut, or be lowered down (by the neighbor on the ground) if I was injured and not able to do it myself.
So I started cutting on the non rotten part which left about 20 to 30 feet to fall to the ground. I had to aim carefully since there was not to big of an area between a neighboring tree and the garage.
This is a video of how it went.
Holy crap, the felling part of the top of the tree while you are tied to the trunk just below the cut is the worst part! I have done it (topped trees) 4 times before but this is about the biggest and certainly the HIGHEST! It fell just where I wanted it to without damaging the garage and minimal damage to the next tree.
I didn't even sustain a scratch! Here is a picture of the tree/stump after I repelled down.
Here is the debris after it was hauled to the road.
and here is the felling cut.
The wedge was a little deep but the natural lean of the tree helped it to fall in just the right spot. B)
I am very happy right now. :D I don't know if I will cut on the stump today. I am thinking I will be a little sore for that. If not today, I will go for it next Saturday. That part will be a whole lot less scary.