The Official Work Pictures Thread

[biggun]

Starting to look a lot better and naturally lighter now a few of the trees have gone.

The couple who lived there before were the eco-hippie type. The Bark Beetle dieback was noticed a few years ago and the Kommune tried to get in to remove them. The access was via this property and the previous owners denied access as they loved trees. Now there are quite a few making there way to the afterlife. 25+ metres as well, so not small trees, if they go the they could potentially do a fair bit of damage. We managed to straight fell the ones today and winch them back with the tracked chipper. The rest, the Kommune can deal with as the new owner will gladly grant them access.

Shame I forgot to take any before or during picture, the ones I posted were from the site visit when I quoted the job.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

People are often so afraid to lose their over grown bit of wood that they are reluctant to cut anything. Once you can show an end product like that and how they can now see "the beauty of the forest through the trees", they loosen up a bit. Then the neighbors give you some work too.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Healthier forest for the cutting too.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Oak looks lovely btw.

 

[biggun]

Cheers. Has been a nice couple of days working there and the new owner is pretty down to earth and appreciated professional advice.

Hopefully more pro there and if she can recommend a few people to use my services then all will be good.

 

[stig]

I'm back from the South Island.
That is the end of the time, Anna will be logging with me.
We had a good time, all 3 of us.
Tired from working 11 hour days, but the food and rooms at the old inn were fine, and sharing a couple of beers after a long day in the woods is a fine thing.

We had us some excitement.
When you fall a tree with codominant tops with a low attachment point into a tight lay, the danger is that one top may get caught on another tree, break off and come back towards the faller.
Anna had a real bad one.
Luckily, the dinosaur she is working with, warned her of it beforehand and told her to run like hell if it happened.
So she got well clear. It almost caught the old slow dino, though.
She said it hit the ground 3 feet behind me.

That top came down 56 feet behind the stump!!!! ( I measured).

 

[lxskllr]

Did I read that right; Anna is part of your team now?

 

[stig]

It has been a pleasure working with her and teaching her.
She has an uncanny instinctual feel for getting trees to go, where she wants them to.
I've never seen one better.
I also found out that she has a pair of brass ovaries!

When she had that mild barberchair last week, we talked about the 2 possibilities for dealing with a barberchair; run like hell or bite down and cut your way out of it.
She asked what Richard and I would do, so I told her that most seasoned fallers would try to cut, which of course sometimes would put them in a spot, where running had been a better option and get them killed.

Yesterday she had a heavy front leaner.
Set it up with a backstrap, as you do with trees like that unless you have a death wish.
As she was cutting the last side, it pulled the backstrap, root and all, and started to go over.
She stayed with the tree, cutting till the barberchair danger was past, then did a neat little toreador move and stepped away as the tree crashed down.

Those of you who have never had a large tree simply go over on you before sceduled,while you are still cutting, have no idea how scary that is.
Not only the impending barberchair but all the crap coming down from above while you are in a bad position.

I was standing 6 feet behind her, ready to grab her and pull her to safety, if everything went to hell, but she didn't know that.

That really took a lot of courage.

 

[stig]

Did I read that right; Anna is part of your team now?

Nope, but I did tell her, that if she for some reason got tired of her boss, I'd hire her.
Once she finishes forestry school, I'll offer her a job.

 

[Nutball]

Yesterday she had a heavy front leaner.
Set it up with a backstrap, as you do with trees like that unless you have a death wish.
As she was cutting the last side, it pulled the backstrap, root and all, and started to go over.
She stayed with the tree, cutting till the barberchair danger was past, then did a neat little toreador move and stepped away as the tree crashed down.

I don't see how a heavy leaner could have the chance to barberchair when cut right. The way I see it is: face cut first, then bore to set the hinge before thinning the holding strap to where it could break.

Did the tree let go during the bore cut before the hinge was completed?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Look at the root pull at the flair.

 

[SkwerI]

Awesome report, Stig. I thoroughly enjoy reading about your jobs and daily experiences.

 

[ruel]

Running ropes today on a tight birch removal. Roof, windows, propane tank, landscaping... Went smoothly, no action shots though, I was a busy groundie

 

[pantheraba]

Tree that big had to have a lot of brush...hope the chipper was CLOSE!

 

[Jonny]

That’s pretty big birch!
Doesn’t look like much until I realize the scale compared to the porty.

 

[stig]

I don't see how a heavy leaner could have the chance to barberchair when cut right. The way I see it is: face cut first, then bore to set the hinge before thinning the holding strap to where it could break.

Did the tree let go during the bore cut before the hinge was completed?

We use way shorter bars than you guys, would be my guess.
We can only reach a bit over ½ way through the tree, so the scenario is; make facecut from both sides. Bore in behind hinge on right side of the tree, cut to strap.
Walk around to the other side, cut from strap towards hinge.
That was when the root pulled and the tree went over, before the hinge was thin enough to prevent a barberchair.

 

[SeanKroll]

Lowering brush behind/ onto the tray in the neighbor's yard, who is keeping the chip mulch, and swinging wood over the fence, into homeowners yard.
Big dogwood, had been all over the neighbor's roof.

Miriam left early, and I solo-rigged most of this adjacent fir's canopy raise. Some limbs 30+' long. Tangled in the neighboring trees.









Open enough lowering zone on the chipper side of the fence.
Rig-n-wrench for the win. Holds a lot, statically.

 

[Sven]

What are you wearing for boots these days @SeanKroll ?

 

[Patrick A]

Spent a gorgeous the day removing ivy and untangling broken branches from the same ivy. Climbing was nice and the ivy is gone. Time to send the bill.

 

[SeanKroll]

What are you wearing for boots these days @SeanKroll ?

Keen Pittsburgh steel toe, and for more spar spur time Hiax whatever’s (lime green, chainsaw Protective).

 

[Bermy]

Stig, whatever the outcome for Anna, for sure you have set her up for her career with knowledge and confidence. If the dinosaur says it's dangerous then for sure it is, and getting safely to the other side with a nod of approval from you will be a massive boost both for her confidence and her ability to assess inherent risk.
It's been great to follow this story

 

[Patrick A]

Opened the view today and found too much Japanese knotweed. I took the flame thrower out and torched the area before laying chips. Another good day.

 

[lxskllr]

Knotweed's the devil. I imagine you haven't seen the last of it.

 

[treebogan]

Cut some trees down,most of it was absolutely buggered.

Real shame about the Spruce but it's in economical to truck it to the mill.

 

[Mudpro]

Cut some trees down,most of it was absolutely buggered.

Real shame about the Spruce but it's in economical to truck it to the mill.

Pretty awesome tractor setup.