Wind storm damage. How would you handle it solo?

[mcdonder]

I'll start off by saying I've already declined this job as it's a bit over my head with too many potential liability issues. We had a wind storm a few days ago and a lady down the road from me had this oak blow over and asked me to check it out. It's lightly hanging between two other oaks, only off the branches, directly over a fence with nice landscaping all around, and the septic leech field in the yard. The two trees it's leaning against are healthy, and the pine behind it is healthy, but the leaner has a rotten base. I was scratching my head trying to figure out the best way to get this down, especially doing it solo.

My initial thought was to anchor the rotten base to the oak in front, so it can't kick out and back (seems unlikely), then suspend it from one of the pines behind and winch it off the oaks it's leaning against, then clear out the top and block it down with a life line in the larger oak . I wasn't sure how safe it was to hang it off a pine like that, which is why I declined the job.

I figured I might as well use it as an opportunity to learn and see what you guys think and leave this one to the pros!

 

[MasterBlaster]

Way too much work for one man.

Bring in a crane.

 

[SkwerI]

My experience with wind blown trees like this (at least here in Florida) is that most of the time there will still be enough roots holding to hold the tree up once you remove the top. Sometimes it won't, but that needs to be determined before work begins. Or at least have two plans in place, in order to cover either scenario.

I just did dozens of similar trees after our recent hurricane. Obviously it's not very complicated if you have a bucket truck and extremely difficult and risky without. If the base isn't secure enough to hold the tree upright once you clear the top then you don't even want to consider climbing it.

You might be able to secure it by hanging it off 2 or 3 of the pines behind it. A block in the pine closest to the oak, then running the line straight back to the pine behind that, then to the base of another pine behind that. In theory it will work fine, but in reality I don't think the risk is worth the reward. Perhaps your best bet is to walk away from this one and live to climb many more trees in the future. We all want to conquer every challenging job we encounter but sometimes the smart thing to do is to pass on by. Without having the option of falling the tree or using my bucket truck I would walk away.

 

[mcdonder]

Glad I passed on it then! Thanks for the input guys. Good to know I wasn’t missing some obvious solution.

 

[MasterBlaster]

You might be able to secure it by hanging it off 2 or 3 of the pines behind it.

And that's a LOT of climbing!!!

 

[treebilly]

There are a ton of ways to skin a cat but better to walk away than to never walk again. I'm sure if some of us were to be present and actually see the situation we could've figured it out but a crane might be the best and most cost effective solution. Pictures can only give so much information.

 

[woodslinger]

Chiming in late here, but any thoughts on hanging the whole thing from the 2 oaks it's leaning into? Then cutting the base, secured to a trunk behind it to control its release, then lowering the tree as sections are cut from the bottom? I've never done this myself, and it seems like too much for a solo job, but I have a dead leaner in my woods I'm planning on doing this with, with a helper though

 

[mcdonder]

Chiming in late here, but any thoughts on hanging the whole thing from the 2 oaks it's leaning into? Then cutting the base, secured to a trunk behind it to control its release, then lowering the tree as sections are cut from the bottom? I've never done this myself, and it seems like too much for a solo job, but I have a dead leaner in my woods I'm planning on doing this with, with a helper though

That was one of the ideas, but like you said, probably difficult solo. I did a very similar thing on a job with NHLocal.

 

[Al Smith]

Maybe you could stand it back up with a winch line .Then again might just go over back assward if you do .I did a few years ago stand up a wind blown 70 foot pine .With a 1" line and snatch block with a '77 ford F250 .

 

[mcdonder]

Maybe you could stand it back up with a winch line .Then again might just go over back assward if you do .I did a few years ago stand up a wind blown 70 foot pine .With a 1" line and snatch block with a '77 ford F250 .

It still hasn't been taken down yet because all the tree service companies are so backed up with work from the wind storms we've been having. To make things even more interesting, the pine trees behind it are on another persons land and they said no to using them to help get it down.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Whutta bunch of turdholes.

 

[ruel]

Where in NH are you? I'll be visiting my folks near Portsmouth this week and could take a look if you're nearby.

 

[mcdonder]

I'm in Rochester, but it's not my tree. The woman already has someone scheduled to take it down, just hasn't happened yet. I appreciate it though!

 

[Al Smith]

I think that deal about the tree fall just depends on what area of the country it is .I've dropped trees both direction across my property lines and so has my neighbor .We are both good about cleaning up the brush etc so it isn't a big deal . But this is red neck Ohio not some hoity toity area on the east coast .