The guys who came and took out the 65' cottonwood we had in the backyard also do big stuff like that. They'd just finished clearing a 300' wide, four mile long stretch of forest for the USFS to build a new road and fire watchtower.
Watching them use the bucket truck and some climbing to dismantle the tree (about 4' wide at the base) and lower the big sections of cut wood was amazing.
These men have supersized steel balls!! I get so tired hearing about the rough job the 1st responders have. Try this job on for a day and see how you would fare!!
Those guys are amazing. I went to work in the woods at 16. We had a bunch of trees near a power line that needed to come down. They brought in a guy and I was told he was big bucks. I thought well who to hell does he think he is? They sent me to work with him. He had all these wedges and stuff and I thought it all show. I was a kid. On the first tree he'd cut drive a wedge, cut some more drive a wedge. Alla sudden he sat down and fired up a cigarette. The guy spoke French and I didn't so I lit up too wondering what to hell was going on. Suddenly he jumped up grabbed that saw and cut like hell. That damn tree just about kissed the power lines but never touched them. He knew I was wondering what was going on and he looked at me and said in broken English, Da win. Meaning the wind. It was just a light breeze but he was waiting for it to either die or come the direction he wanted. He must have fallen twenty trees some I thought aint no way that one aint going into the power line. He put every damn one right where he wanted it. An amazing art for sure.
Agreed. It is definitely an art. There are so many small details they have to see and allow for in order to drop these trees exactly where they want them. A small abnormality in a tree that 99.9% of us would never see can make a big difference in how the tree behaves as it falls. Especially the big ones.
Mighty hard way to make a living....killing trees for a few bucks. The real money goes back to the city. Too bad. And it is HARD work and very skilled.
Doug Fir on a north facing slope I'm guessing. No butt swell, very little taper, primo timber. Those guys were loving cutting on that sale. They probably couldn't wait to get to work in the morning.
The guys who came and took out the 65' cottonwood we had in the backyard also do big stuff like that. They'd just finished clearing a 300' wide, four mile long stretch of forest for the USFS to build a new road and fire watchtower.
ReplyDeleteWatching them use the bucket truck and some climbing to dismantle the tree (about 4' wide at the base) and lower the big sections of cut wood was amazing.
An aerial ballet!
Some skillful felling in that vid. I'm a little taken aback by the guys that turn their backs on a tree as it's coming off the stump.
ReplyDeleteNemo
experience guides those fellers.
DeleteThese men have supersized steel balls!! I get so tired hearing about the rough job the 1st responders have. Try this job on for a day and see how you would fare!!
ReplyDeleteThose guys are amazing. I went to work in the woods at 16. We had a bunch of trees near a power line that needed to come down. They brought in a guy and I was told he was big bucks. I thought well who to hell does he think he is? They sent me to work with him. He had all these wedges and stuff and I thought it all show. I was a kid. On the first tree he'd cut drive a wedge, cut some more drive a wedge. Alla sudden he sat down and fired up a cigarette. The guy spoke French and I didn't so I lit up too wondering what to hell was going on. Suddenly he jumped up grabbed that saw and cut like hell. That damn tree just about kissed the power lines but never touched them. He knew I was wondering what was going on and he looked at me and said in broken English, Da win. Meaning the wind. It was just a light breeze but he was waiting for it to either die or come the direction he wanted. He must have fallen twenty trees some I thought aint no way that one aint going into the power line. He put every damn one right where he wanted it. An amazing art for sure.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Look up, as the tree is falling, then re-insert one of the wedges to further direct the fall! And they say Superman has balls of steel!
ReplyDeleteOnly Lois Lane knows for sore.
DeleteAgreed. It is definitely an art. There are so many small details they have to see and allow for in order to drop these trees exactly where they want them. A small abnormality in a tree that 99.9% of us would never see can make a big difference in how the tree behaves as it falls. Especially the big ones.
ReplyDeleteMighty hard way to make a living....killing trees for a few bucks. The real money goes back to the city. Too bad. And it is HARD work and very skilled.
ReplyDeleteDoug Fir on a north facing slope I'm guessing. No butt swell, very little taper, primo timber.
ReplyDeleteThose guys were loving cutting on that sale. They probably couldn't wait to get to work in the morning.
Most all using a Humboldt cut for their notch. Less wood waste I guess.
ReplyDelete