Just some little cottonwoods.

rbtree

Well, not so little...

The job entailed climbing and felling a bunch of cottonwoods near Duvall, Wa., where the trees grow tall. Big ones up to 150', young ones up to 110'.....big ones in the woods, lots of room. Small ones near structures, felled with wedges or pull lines, all set from the ground with throw lines.

Dave forget his hardhat on one sequence, and Andy didn't figure out my Canon on another, where I felled a small one across an old shed, sans chaps...

rbtree

photos here: Biggs Cottonwoods and mist - a set on ??????

click on image for larger size, choose "all sizes" or choose "slide show" upper right

rbtree

Note to Reg, the average fir around Lake Tuck is at least 125 feet, with many passing 170 by the wayside, and growing 3 feet a year. Most are under 30" dbh......

So, when you move out here, be sure to swallow to equalize the pressures....watch out if you've got a head cold....

Eric Frei

Firs?

Was that those toward the end?

Were they dead or are they deciduous?

__________________

rbtree

We do a lot of work out there. I was just saying that the trees are tall! The cottonwoods are all leafless...it's mid winter..

I'm just two miles from Seattle city limits. There are some firs pushing 200 feet in parks in town...and some 5 footers that are a good 160' a block from my house.

Tim Craig

Rb, nice vid, are cottonwoods and Tulip poplars the same thing? Liriodendron tulipfera = cottonwood?

I used to work in the US(east coast-DC/Maryland/Virginia) and Tulips were without doubt the tallest trees we worked on, but I dont remember anyone calling them cottonwoods?

RC1

Yeah whaaaaaatever

You just tell the cowboy I'm comin for him!

rbtree

Tim, cottonwood are genus populus......

and those were black cottonwood, which have reached well over 200 feet and 10 feet dbh.....

RC.....you'd be trembling and asking for mercy after we unleash ya on some of our nasties....

Sean Freeman

Not so sure there Roger...excellent vid of the snow job with the brilliant rigging...green with envy this end!...loved all the small vids too excellent good audio quality, could hear the echo off the snowy surfaces (man I miss snow, though maybe not to work in)....me thinks the Cheshire Cat from Macclesfield would enjoy it up there just as much as you two guys.

Kept thinking when watching your vids last night how impressed the HO must have been at the end not a scratch anywhere on his building.

treekiller

The Cottonwoods here in Colorado don't get quite so tall, but they do get some girth. That's old Red checking things out. On this job we just pushed the trees down by the river with loaders.

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RC1

Now-days I have to make myself warm-up in the morning before attempting a nasty, then I’m ok….is that what you were doing with those cottonwoods, using them as a warm up? They looked ideal!

rbtree

sort of.....was just funnin' ya. Those trees were good sized, but a piece of cake...

RC1

Well I wasn't Rog....what did you do that afternoon???

rbtree

I let the crew do the climbing. I shot pics in the morning, put a coupla saws together, set a bunch of lines, felled some trees......which ran into the afternoon.

After we were done and the crew left, Andy wanted a hand pulling over and alder. I set a throw line but couldn't get the pull line threaded through a tight crotch. So I pulled the tree over with the throw line.

Earlier, on an alder, the pull line had gotten stuck in a crotch, attached to the throw line with the throw ball. So we pulled that tree over, trusting that the knot and shot pouch would stay lodged. Used a wedge for backup, all went well.

Uhh, you didn't peek on another thread did ya? I'm not a barberchair kinda guy...


...lettin' mine grow out...

RC1

Rog I’m just kidding, although I’m not sure you’re following anyway….don’t ask, or it just makes a poor joke fail even further!

Big tree’s those Cottonwood’s, very similar in appearance to out native Black poplar.

I’m a little surprised you don’t have a tripod for those video clips, but still great to watch all the same!

It takes a high calibre of climber to be able to work such big trees’ with fluency and decisiveness. Well done again

rbtree

Had my own mess-up today, (Cowboy Dave had one yesterday.) whilst felling the 6 big sticks, which ranged from 80-120 feet tall, yet none over 40" dbh......So, the trees were 130-150' total height......

Failed to judge the favor on the third stem, after an easy fell of the first two. Got cocky, cutting up the backcut, and didn't watch it. It sat back before I could get a wedge in.....then when I tried to make another face higher up, it closed that up as well, then started to barber chair up behind the hinge, on the face I'd put in. Scary to say the least, especially with all the downed tree debris everywhere.

So, I tried to set a line....this was 98 feet up, into a 2 foot wide target crotch...after about 8 tries, sort of got it, but we couldn't get the pull line to pass thru. Meanwhile, Andy had brought a chain and load binder, and I'd bound the split, which made me feel better about walking around near and under the stem which now had a 3-5% lean. So, we left the half installed pull line, with the throw line on the other side, in an attempt to nudge it in the right direction....that was a waste....anyhow, I then made a smaller face below the other two...and bore cut in. There was still 12 inches of back wood, which split out straight up to the middle face cut as she fell, and I beat feet sideways. Moral of the story, don't get cocky---put wedges in right away...and do a better job of reading the favor.

Of the next 3 trees, two were the largest yet, and hard to read the favor. Neighbors Andy and Jake helped me determine which way to face the one that was 110-120 feet tall, and they were right. It went over nicely, with two 12 inch wedges not even tapped in, but there for insurance in case of a sitback. The next tree was hard to face up due to the lay of the land and underbrush. Was unsure of it, so pounded two wedges quite smartly. Didn't know where the guys were, so didn't yell for them to start the video. Anyhow, it smacked dead center onto a 120 foot fir that Josh had hit with a big top, stripping off most of the brush on one side. Bent the tree over like a toothpick and broke it at 30 feet, making a nice habitat snag. On the ground the fir was further split and tattered.

6th tree was a breeze, save for running out of fuel.

Here's a raw video, no titles, transitions, explanations.

http://vimeo.com/2916576
First two clips are of Josh felling the 2nd of two bushy western red cedar between the house/deck, and shed. The owner
s wanted a better view of the lake. This was right across the road from Bill Biggs' place with the cottonwoods.

first clip show the camera falling off the log, so I missed recording that easy fell.

2nd clip shows me putting in the backcut on the one that sat back..

Sean Freeman

Rog definately not trying to teach you to suck eggs, but splitting the back cut into two half cuts enables the easy placement of the first wedge. It was how I was taught to fell, and although i do very little felling now it was the technique I relied upon, for nearly all felling.

Thanks for sharing the experience with us every one can learn from the lessons we each have had to face.

rbtree

These trees were plenty large enough to fit wedges in, Sean. I simply got careless in misreading the favor, and cut too far in too quickly, and wasn't watching the kerf or top. Game over. Then the anxious moments began...

Sean Freeman

Vry glad you and your mates worked out a good solution

rbtree

Me too....

bobdoesit

Tree climbing in Thigh . Check this out guys. Found it when veiwing the cotton woods video..

bobdoesit

Tree climbing in Thigh Boots)
thegoldengirl69 [url=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uzPObzBOpBU]

Think this might be it. Check this out guys..

bobdoesit

I do hope that post works. If not its a couple of videos down from (JUST SOME LITTLE COTTON WOODS.) Enjoy..