Any idea what kind of tree it is?

Reason I ask, if it's a valuable type of wood, might find someone willing to chop it down and haul it away for the wood (and/or maybe pay you into the bargain, depending on the type of tree.)

Never underestimate what can go sideways when taking down a tree. I know a lot of arborists, tree techs and foresters and they all have their horror stories. Having said that, assuming the trunk and major stems aren't rotted, a skilled arborist could climb it and rope down individual sections, for the unskilled tweakers on the ground to haul to the chipper and truck parked on the street.

I've taken enough chainsaw and directional felling classes to never take anything for granted. Limbing the tree and sectioning it off will result in less damage to your yard, as opposed to just dropping the whole thing.

quote:

Originally posted by kidcop:
Never underestimate what can go sideways when taking down a tree.

Indeed. It's live wood. There are stresses in there about which you have no idea. Even the minor jobs I've done on the ensigmatic ranch have sometimes resulted in the unexpected--and this after careful study and consideration.

Then there's the stuff that you can see: The lean of the tree, the pitch of the land, the wind. All these things influence which way things will fall. But taking them all into account, well... The tree's leaning <this> way, but the land pitches <that> way, and the wind's blowing <this other> way...

Maybe I overthink stuff. Then again: I still have all my fingers, toes, limbs, and so-on. (Knock on wood.)

quote:

Reason I ask, if it's a valuable type of wood, might find someone willing to chop it down and haul it away for the wood (and/or maybe pay you into the bargain, depending on the type of tree.)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Never seen that happen. I wish it would occur.

I’d do that myself. Climb into it and limb it off, then cut the trunk into 3’ sections with my kid pulling on a rope to pull the sections away from me.

If you can’t physically do it then that is the way I’d expect a pro to do it, no need for a cherry picker with a tree that size

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Reason I ask, if it's a valuable type of wood, might find someone willing to chop it down and haul it away for the wood (and/or maybe pay you into the bargain, depending on the type of tree.)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Never seen that happen. I wish it would occur.

It doesn't happen often because a lot of mills won't touch a tree from a residential lot. They end up with nails, screws, wire, and what-have-you embedded in them, which wreaks havoc on their blades.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Reason I ask, if it's a valuable type of wood, might find someone willing to chop it down and haul it away for the wood (and/or maybe pay you into the bargain, depending on the type of tree.)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Never seen that happen. I wish it would occur.

It doesn't happen often because a lot of mills won't touch a tree from a residential lot. They end up with nails, screws, wire, and what-have-you embedded in them, which wreaks havoc on their blades.

I don't know about often, but I do know a public rose garden that got low 4 figures for a walnut tree they wanted got rid of.

Two small points. Yes any tree can go down poorly and unexpectedly. But to suggest that for this tree is simply wrong. like completely wrong. And there is no need to suggest that as a risk for the OP. And any competent person felling it will simply say no problem or take steps to mitigate the risks. It simply is NOT something to worry about. And there is literally no need on this tree to do anything other than drop it. Second the volume of this tree is such that there is no chance its a money winner to someone.
FWIW>

The fireplace is real but they (daughter's family) didn't use it last winter (only been there 1 year). I was planning on the contractor hauling out the wood, but maybe have to think about that. Don't know what kind of tree.

Instead of contracting tree companies, I'm tempted to post some better pics on the town FB page and see the responses I get. I'm sure some won't be licensed and insured.

There was a guy advertising a while back for stump removal. Him and his horses. No stump grinding. Yank it out. 'Course, I'm adjacent to Amish & Mennonites ...

I’ve probably had 25 trees taken down in the last 3’yeqrs and this is the biggest piece of equipment that has been used on any part of our property. They throw a small weight over the tree with a thin line attached. Then tie a thicker rope to the line and pull the thick rope down and attach it to this piece of equipment.

Then this thing backs up putting tension on where they want the tree to fall. Then they barely even notch the side facing the piece of equipment. Then start cutting the other side of the tree as the piece of equipment starts backing up keeping tension on the tree. The tree falls right in line with the equipment every single time. Then cut the downed tree into 8 foot sections and that thing picks them up and runs them to the truck like they weigh 20lbs.

So efficient you feel like you way overpaid.

Perhaps some of us are misjudging the size of the tree. From the photo, I'm picturing the bottom branches within arm's reach while standing flat on the ground. If that's the case, the main trunk is maybe 10' tall with fairly light "soft" branches above that going up to 25-30'.

The words of caution about tree felling are warranted, but I can't imagine a pro batting an eye at grabbing a saw, walking over to the tree and cutting it with no climbing, buckets or drama. If the tree is twice as big as I'm thinking, that's a different story.

I don’t think the size even matters because he has a ton of room to drop it. The only time I ever see them use a bucket or make it more dangerous by being in the tree is if it’s a tall tree and there’s no room to drop it in one piece.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 1s1k,

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
A better question; what chainsaw should I buy to take this tree down?
Easy job, even for an amateur.

Not being picky, but have you ever used a chainsaw before? They can be very dangerous especially for those who have limited experience with them.

And, unless there is lots of space where that tree can come down without damaging property or people, I would suggest trying to make a deal with someone who would be willing to do it at no cost, and haul it away. Or at least share the firewood. I have seen incidents in which experienced tree fellers have not dropped the tree in the desired location.

We had two trees taken down, all without a truck. The guys climbed the tree, tied a rope to upper part and topped it. The tree moved when the top let go but the rope allowed the cut piece to be lowered to the ground with minimal damage to the grass.

quote:

Originally posted by sig229-SAS:
We had two trees taken down, all without a truck. The guys climbed the tree, tied a rope to upper part and topped it. The tree moved when the top let go but the rope allowed the cut piece to be lowered to the ground with minimal damage to the grass.

I have been felling trees for quite a while, but when we had one in our front yard that had to come down, I hired a team to take it down. Why? Because if it fell in the wrong direction it would be in our second story bedroom! They climbed the tree with their climbing spurs, limbed it, then took the trunk down in 3-4 foot lengths. I paid them, they left, and I started splitting up the pieces for burning in our wood stove.

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:
They climbed the tree with their climbing spurs, limbed it, then took the trunk down in 3-4 foot lengths.

Which anybody who's ever seen it done will realize is no job for amateurs. That's tricky business.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:
They climbed the tree with their climbing spurs, limbed it, then took the trunk down in 3-4 foot lengths.

Which anybody who's ever seen it done will realize is no job for amateurs. That's tricky business.

Which is exactly why I hired them to do it.