Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: turnipsock on 23/09/2008 13:37:41
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How do you cut down trees, when they are like this, without damaging anymore trees?
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Any attempt at cuuting these trees from the bottom could result in them damaging other trees as they come down, unless the area from which the pic was taken is a large enough clearing.
I would suggest cutting them down in stages from the top.
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Very carefully, from the top, downwards. You'll need a cherry-picker, and you'll also have to be very careful in your positioning, not so much from the falling sections but from the remaining trunk - if the remaining trunk is supported by other standing trees it'll be likely to 'rebound' and bounce around a bit when you cut bits off the top.
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With that chainsaw, at the bottom of the picture.
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even if you could somehow get a cherry picker into the middle of a forest, when you chop off a bit of the top of the tree, it will fall over a bit more causing more damage to the existing trees.
I thought there would be some clever way of doing this with ropes and levers or something.
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Tie a rope or two to something strong like another tree and then to the trunks as high up as possible and as tight as posible
prevent them failling in the direction you dont want.
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Tie a ladder to the tree (or climb it) and use a bow saw to take sections off, starting as high as you can.
It is easily cuttable (it appears to be fairly thin) without recourse to a chainsaw. A bow saw with a fresh blade is so much safer.
Use a short rope, tied just above and below the cut and the bits will not fall far. You can let them down on the rope once they are dangling safely.
No fuss and lots of control.Plus none of that damned noise that a chainsaw makes.
I've done that on several occasions and have all my limbs. You can't guarantee that with a chainsaw, especially if you aren't very skilled.
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I doubt a ladder would be stable enough to be safe, especially when using a chain saw. A scaffold tower would be far better.
Otherwise I agree with this method
Tie a ladder to the tree (or climb it) and use a bow saw to take sections off, starting as high as you can.
It is easily cuttable (it appears to be fairly thin) without recourse to a chainsaw. A bow saw with a fresh blade is so much safer.
Use a short rope, tied just above and below the cut and the bits will not fall far. You can let them down on the rope once they are dangling safely.
No fuss and lots of control.Plus none of that damned noise that a chainsaw makes.
I've done that on several occasions and have all my limbs. You can't guarantee that with a chainsaw, especially if you aren't very skilled.
Or you could get a tree surgeon to do it for you.
Once you have solved your problem, I would certainly suggest that you leave the pieces of trunk to rot naturally. Once natures little recycling team get to work, the trunk will provide shelter and food for insects, fungi and, if your very lucky, perhaps orchids. It will take on a whole new beauty and interest.
Look at this piece of rotting trunk from what was a very substantial tree in Woburn Park:
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I was thinking about attaching a pulley (green) to something. Then attaching a rope (yellow) to the tree about half way up and the other end to the top of the tree.
Then cut the tree at the red line. The weight of the falling bottom half will then pull the top of the top half away from the good trees and then god only knows what will happen after that.
Did anybody watch Axe Men tonight, they talk about escape routes and a few of them had been outwitted by a tree. The cut I plan is really dangerous and I'm not sure what the safest way would be...probably the laser out of goldfinger.
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Sorry, I thought it was the ones in the centre of the picture and leaning that you were concerned about. The one rooted on the left of the pic I would say your plan will work, but from what I can make out, the cut should be on the other side of the rope and far enough down the trunk to make it bottom heavy, or am I still not seeing this right?
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