flushcut
TreeHouser
How about a ginormus dead cotton wood with the limbs rotted back to 3" wood, no access for bucket or a landing and a crane in the front yard with the picks going over the house. HAIRY!!!
Working on a Dead Elm
- Thread starter brendonv
- Start date
- Replies 73
- Views 8K
Cobleskill
Treehouser
I was watching a HUGE cottonwood on the side of a county highway, wondering what they were going to do with it. It stood dead for 10 years or longer. They got it down, and I was told they rigged some of it off the tree. I would have loved to watch that one.
flushcut
TreeHouser
I ran an estimate for the one I was talking about and I shot the moon. If they want to pay my price I will gladly do the work if not God help who ever does do the tree. Rigging dead anything is no fun.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
Back to the breakaway lanyard/ emergency options...well, this would probably go best in a new thread. Tune in there.
RopeArmour
TreeHouser
I did big one today, bark almost completely sloughed off except for the bottom 10'. Elm bark beetle got it dead fast last year.Roped into about 3" dia but have climbed on smaller when the spurin around and not giving my full weight load to the tie in. Had to cut drop and hinge swing 1/2 the tree to miss the small Pines and cedars underneath. And everyone was missed.
I trust it dead more than alive. But only if it is Red or American, anything else go much larger. Chinese elm will split away at the crotch.
Red or American is the most resilient wood, it flex and returns better than any wood on the planet. It was commonly used on truck sides because it will bow out time and time again with little fracturing.
I got my best years learning on Elm.
I love climbin and cutin Elm, the wood hinges awesome and is the most predictable.
If you got tough limb mb with rot and needs to be rigged, notch and back cut and get out of the tree. Hinge wood holds on well.
I did one tree for fun 10 years ago where I hinged all the leaders to the ground so the tree looked like a peeled banana and then laid a few of the neighbouring Elms into the first one the whole sculpture was pretty cool looking.
Best of luck! Man I love Elm! But not Chinese, Siberian but Scotch Elm is cool but I have only been one in my life.
I trust it dead more than alive. But only if it is Red or American, anything else go much larger. Chinese elm will split away at the crotch.
Red or American is the most resilient wood, it flex and returns better than any wood on the planet. It was commonly used on truck sides because it will bow out time and time again with little fracturing.
I got my best years learning on Elm.
I love climbin and cutin Elm, the wood hinges awesome and is the most predictable.
If you got tough limb mb with rot and needs to be rigged, notch and back cut and get out of the tree. Hinge wood holds on well.
I did one tree for fun 10 years ago where I hinged all the leaders to the ground so the tree looked like a peeled banana and then laid a few of the neighbouring Elms into the first one the whole sculpture was pretty cool looking.
Best of luck! Man I love Elm! But not Chinese, Siberian but Scotch Elm is cool but I have only been one in my life.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Could you put a high TIP on a line through the two trees next to it???
Might bring you some piece of mind.
Might bring you some piece of mind.
B
bill22
Guest
Best advice for dead trees Brian.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
And THAT'S how you do it!!!
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Could you climb up 15 or 20', put in a micro notch, an ultra low back cut, pull with the skid loader and prune a few other trees on its way down?
FJR
Treehouser
Cobleskill
Treehouser
That kind of work is best left to the elite with extraordinary skills.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
You might have to grow a mullet to help with thinking it out..
tophopper
The resident asshole
Hard to tell from the picture, but it looks climbable. Keep an eye out for the obvious signs of decay, limb attachments, or splitting, etc. But as others have mentioned, dead Elm is generally rock solid(for the first 1-2 years anyway). Here when they get DED, they are completely dead within 1 year of infection. The second year, the bark will completely fall of the entire tree. Even at this point, when they have just shed the bark, they are incredibly strong. We climb and rig them all the time.
Its after the 2nd year of being stone dead that you need to proceed with extreme caution.
Its after the 2nd year of being stone dead that you need to proceed with extreme caution.
sawinredneck
Treehouser
This! Man is this true!
I'll also add, I wouldn't trust anything under 5", 3" sounds all fine and dandy, but I've seen them shear right off!
tntree
Just slice it
Elms my favorite tree to disassemble, lot of DED kills under my belt. like Johnny said and others no worries in a 1 year dead Elm
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
Remember homeowners lie, I mean misremember, about the condition of the tree and the time interval since it died, and since part of the tree is still maybe alive, they might mistake that the remained of the tree without foliage might have just been resting before "coming back" in their mind.
B
bill22
Guest
Very true. I removed 2 dead oaks in winter park, homeowner told me they were dead for like 2-3 years. Neighbor's told me like 9 years dead. I guess they think it will be cheaper,but it was obvious by just looking at them.
B
bill22
Guest
Stay safe man, if it doesn't feel right, don't do it.
SkwerI
Treehouser
You'll be fine, Brendon. Make sure your saws are extra sharp the day before.
flushcut
TreeHouser
Giver!!!!
SkwerI
Treehouser
flushcut
TreeHouser
I should have quoted brendonv on that one for getting the go ahead. As in gitter dun!
SkwerI
Treehouser
Cool. Must be a regional expression, I haven't heard it used like that before. 
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Canadians use it eh.
Similar threads
