Tree Drop

As you may recall the second of two Osage Orange trees decided to hang down low over our driveway and our neighbors pine tree.

This will not do.

It had to come down but in a way that didn’t squash the pine tree or squash me.

So I put some things together.

There were two branches leaning directly over the pine tree. The plan was to cut each of them, so that they fell away from the tree and not on top of it. The red strap put tension on the branch using the tractor in hopes that when I cut it, it would pull toward the tractor and away from the tree.

You might also notice the ladder is strapped to the tree. It’s been my experience when you cut these things limb by limb, the bough you’re leaning against has a tendency to rise as the weight of the branches drops. Not only is the ladder strapped to the tree, but I strap myself as well.

For the limbs on either side of the tree, it was no big deal.

When I dropped the large portion hanging over the driveway, it kind of was a big deal.

First, when the large portion broke free, it took the saw with it. Bang! 15′ feet down the saw hit the driveway and quit.

Now the fun part. The remaining bough I was leaning/strapped against rose significantly. It rose to the point that the ladder was barely touching the ground.

Abigail! Abigail can you get your mother?

No response. She wasn’t around anymore.

Ok great. What do I do?

The ladder was securely fastened to the tree. I was securely fastened to the tree. If I unhooked myself, it was simply a climbing problem. A problem I could easily handle.

About the time I got myself unhooked, Jen came running. She and the girls had been watching from the bedroom window.

She wasn’t freaked, and asked if I was OK and needed help.

I said sure. Hold the ladder, so it doesn’t go too inverted as I come down.

And that was that.

Honestly the scariest part was restarting the saw. As it fired up all I could imagine was it throwing the chain, but it didn’t.

I managed to finish the job without further incident.

Now we’ve got another huge pile in need of chipping again.

The tethering of myself (using an old climbing harness and climbing hardware) and the ladder were obviously smart. Dropping the saw was good too. No point in saving a $150 saw 15′ off the ground and risk cutting yourself up. Though next time, I think I’ll tether the saw independently to the tree somehow. So that if I drop it, it doesn’t hit the ground and swings safely out of the way.

– b