Stove-ready wood - even on our own property - comes at a cost. You see, it requires a tree that has been dead for a year or more, but hasn't had the good sense to topple earthward. And even though the tree may still be standing, critters have attacked the base and its fibers have become brittle - causing my angst.
Anyone can fell a tree. The skill - nee art - is to have it land in a place certain. With a live or recently deceased tree, the inner fibers are intact. Cut a notch toward the desired direction of fall and make a hinge cut 180 degrees from fall. Fibers hold the trunk together and it goes as/where planned. Standing dead doesn't work that way. Fibers snap instead of bend and tree falls where it wants, often shedding dead branches in the process. Hard hat is mandatory!
Finally - what the photo above represents. Tree 1 is the lower tree. It fell 20 degrees off course and got hung up in another tree. Ask Chris or Alex and they'll tell you this is par for my felling record. They have simply never been around for a live tree felling operation... So, I thought that I'd topple tree 2 on top of tree 1, sending them both to the ground. Another 20 degree twist and tree 2 instead landed in another tree top. Fortunately, plan C worked like a charm. Attach strap around tree 2 and give a quick tug with the tractor. Down it came onto tree 1 - then to terra firma.
While this may seem like a lot of effort, the process is really a wonderful diversion to life as we know it.
I was wondering about the meaning of the last post! (It was an inside joke).
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI usually post via email - live from the scene of the action. However, the accompanying text can get lost in the process - as was the case with this post. The second draft was better anyway...
ReplyDeleteI wondered about it, too and forgot to ask.
ReplyDelete