Safely piecing down high branch on tree?

[mistahbenn]

OP there is always a way or several to taking any tree down.... That doesnt look bad...

1. You could establish a TIP in that pine, as well as a rigging point, then climb up and out, rig the tree onto itself as well as the other rigging point and swing the work clear of the roof... or

2. Have your groundy on the roof, rig small, have him clear the brush on the roof.

Anyhow, be safe.

 

[pantheraba]

Good pictures..a wanker of a tree. Work positioning is gonna be the thing, for sure.

Have you considered a high line...it can give good access to otherwise unreachable points...install a high line from that far hardwood to another tree over the work tree (assuming there is one). Here some picts of a highline I did on an ivy covered tree that I couldn't climb.

Or can you use a TIP in the hardwood in the background (higher than the wanker tree)....stay on the camera side of the work tree and let the far TIP give you some "up" support...just be sure to STAY lanyarded into the work tree so you don't take a long swing into the TIP tree. I'm not real crazy about this idea.

The OP said he is not allowed to access the pine trees...too bad...they could make a huge difference in your approach...be safer and simpler if you could.

Climb from the roof straight up to your work position, use the highline or far TIP to help stabilize you on the work tree...piece it out slowly. Spurs would probably help a lot.

 

[BOTS]

cool pics Gary!

 

[Tim_B.]

Seconded!

Tim

 

[BOTS]

I would remove it, will be a hazard at some point

 

[stig]

Especially after having that branch removed.

 

[Kabir424]

Good pictures..a wanker of a tree. Work positioning is gonna be the thing, for sure.

Have you considered a high line...it can give good access to otherwise unreachable points...install a high line from that far hardwood to another tree over the work tree (assuming there is one). Here some picts of a highline I did on an ivy covered tree that I couldn't climb.

Or can you use a TIP in the hardwood in the background (higher than the wanker tree)....stay on the camera side of the work tree and let the far TIP give you some "up" support...just be sure to STAY lanyarded into the work tree so you don't take a long swing into the TIP tree. I'm not real crazy about this idea.

The OP said he is not allowed to access the pine trees...too bad...they could make a huge difference in your approach...be safer and simpler if you could.

Climb from the roof straight up to your work position, use the highline or far TIP to help stabilize you on the work tree...piece it out slowly. Spurs would probably help a lot.

La becasse mentioned it being a wood shingle roof and it's not. It's actually an asphalt shingle roof that's probably a 3/12 pitch so it's even better to work off of than you were probably thinking. I think I will have to do a combination of that and what pantheraba above mentioned about using the hardwood in the background as a TIP and a rigging point. I will probably also take his suggestion of climbing straight up from the roof. Unfortunately, spurs won't do too much good until I get towards the point where that branch leader connects with the trunk because of how horizontal that branch is. They might help a little bit in one spot but most of that branch will be spent standing on it. Concerning using the hardwood in the background, I will of course be using separate branches with the rigging point above the TIP just in case the rigging point should fail. Unfortunately, that hardwood is a sweet gum and I don't know if its just my stigma against them but I don't trust their strength as much as other trees. In my area I see a lot of sweet gums with their tops broken off due to either high winds snapping them, getting diseased, or some combination there of. Personally, I would have to definitely do a closer inspection of that tree than if it was another hardwood.

Also, pantheraba has demonstrated doing a high line which I hadn't even considered before. There's a nice tulip poplar on the other side of the house that would be behind where I was taking pictures. That is certainly taller than the poplar I would be working on. I just am not sure if it is tall enough and strong enough at that point to use. I will have to see.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Removing that limb is no big deal. On a scale of 1 to 10, that limb is a 5 in difficulty... at the most a 6.

 

[sotc]

I live in Denmark, dude.

With a little Cali on the side, dude!

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Kabir, your highline doesn't have to be Super pre-tensioned. You gain little compared to your forces on the anchor trees. As needed, you can guy-line back your anchor trees against the high line pull if they aren't strong enough on their own.

Can you rent a tow-behind lift, about $200-250 for a day? Tows behind a pick-up. A couple strong guys can roll a smaller one on flat ground, use some plywood for the tongue-jack's wheel as needed if the ground isn't smooth/ hard. Might be easier, as that looks very close to the roof, but not quite close enough.


Do a good inspection of the integrity of the tree/ roots. Your weight and rigging forces on something bent over like that can be considerable.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

OP here. I have 4 pictures total but I could only upload 2 of them in this post. I will try and upload the other two in another post.

Here is probably the best picture out of the lot. When I originally mentioned this tree I was relaying some information from the client. She had mentioned concern about the branch when I was first there but that wasn't really her focus because there was a lot more to do in the front. She later mentioned over the phone what I thought about removing the branch on that tulip poplar over the house. I asked her to describe the situation and I tried to recall what I had seen. After having been there for a couple of days doing work in the front and then later dropping some small Chinese parasol trees in the back I have had plenty of time to get a good look at the tree. Someone mentioned that taking off that large of a branch would be detrimental to the tree and probably cause big issues and I agree. If that limb should be cut then the whole tree should probably come down. The good news is that I have a couple of options for rigging off of other trees nearby. I can't really use the trees on the right because the neighbor doesn't want any involvement.

So, if this was your tree to remove how would you do it?

Hopefully I can get more pictures in another post.
View attachment 59559


Here is a worse quality but closer shot of where the two branch leaders join at the trunk.
View attachment 59560

Needed to get the pictures on to this page.

Looks like a 540* lanyard wrap might give you comfort and securing while going up that 45* section. I've sat on low angled sections with a 540* wrap where its too flat to stand in spurs and cut. Various sizes of loop runners, linked together as needed, can be cinched with a girth hitch onto the trunk and give you a stirrup for standing in.


Which part is the most challenging for you, Kabir? The stuff close to the roof, or getting out to the tips to rig it, or...?

 

[stig]

With a little Cali on the side, dude!

True that, dude

 

[Kabir424]

Which part is the most challenging for you, Kabir? The stuff close to the roof, or getting out to the tips to rig it, or...?

The most challenging part for me is how to safely rig the pieces down without hurting the roof or myself. I have a couple of different ideas from people here and I think I have a much better grasp of what I should do. Thanks to everyone for posting!

 

[MasterBlaster]

Cut smaller peices.

 

[pantheraba]

Yep...if nobody is shooting at you there is no need to hurry. Take your time, cut small.

 

[Raj]

Wonder how the job went.

 

[MasterBlaster]

No shit. It's like the third season of Deadwood...

It just didn't happen.

 

[Altissimus]

... Mebbee he got the limb off safely.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Or didn't get the job.

 

[Kabir424]

The job is postponed until the couple in the house have some more money on hand. Since it's a removal for that tree we can do that anytime of year. There's plenty of pruning that we are busy with as it is on other properties. My guess is after they have their taxes squared away and they make sure they have some extra money on hand they will go for it. There are a few other pieces on the property they want removed as well now that they have had some time to think about it.

 

[MasterBlaster]

That's just how some things go.

You won't starve.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

How's your plan looking?