Old Growth fir topping

[RC0]

Couple tops from Cathedral Grove this week. It all I really had time to video.

First shows a 35ft top cut at approx. 200ft. Second is a big leaning top cut at 150. Unfortunately because the camera/climber is attached to the tree, it doesn't really pic up the extent of motion experienced by the climber up there. But, you get the idea. The second top was a rough ride. Use HD setting. Thanks

https://youtu.be/pbFqUvrzNuM

[Stubby]

' Up in the dizzy heights again Reg .  Lovin' life bud !

[Rich Rule]

Nice little vids Reg.  That second must have been a phatty if it was a 30" bar where you topped her.

[Darrin Turnbull]

Very impressive , the seven minutes flew by .

[Secretarb]

how come up topped the second one where you did ? hell of a sway. 

 

I wish i could experience those kind of heights, all the best any way Reg 

[Mark Bolam]

Superb Reg.

Im going to watch the phone video when the wife has gone to bed.

[scotspine1]

Excellent Reg. Couldn't have been much fun pulling a 372 with 30" bar up 150ft. Good job on the leaner, can see there was a lot of movement up there.

 

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[AHPP]

3 minutes ago, scotspine1 said:

Couldn't have been much fun pulling a 372 with 30" bar up 150ft.

 

 

 

 

300ft of cord, a micro pulley and an enthusiastic man on the ground would be my solution.

[RC0]

2 hours ago, Secretarb said:

how come up topped the second one where you did ? hell of a sway. 

 

I wish i could experience those kind of heights, all the best any way Reg 

Thanks all.

 

Firstly, the logs were being left stood at 20-25 M, as habitat trees, don't think I mentioned that.

 

I made that cut at 150ft, with 90 ft of top above me. The wide angled lens always squashes things into view, but you can take it as a pretty accurate measurement. The taper on these trees is incredibly gradual to seemingly none existent over 40ft distances say. I could've cut lower, or I could've gone higher still which would have been more climbing and limbing.  I knew wherever, it was going to be uncomfortable. So with my safety in mind, I picked a spot that was inbetween  big limbs, where the grain is more knotty than straight....which wasn't the case lower down. That and the narrow Humboldt cut with sides cut out is all to reduce the threat of a barber chair, which is very real on a tree of that form and size. Don't want to make it sound overly dramatic, but without taking such measures on a tree like that, a climber could well be making his last cut ever.  

[AHPP]

1 hour ago, RC0 said:

I picked a spot that was inbetween  big limbs, where the grain is more knotty than straight....which wasn't the case lower down. That and the narrow Humboldt cut with sides cut out is all to reduce the threat of a barber chair, which is very real on a tree of that form and size.

Good video as always. Thanks for putting them up.

Did you consider boring it? Small saw with a 16" bar maybe. Obviously far harder for the gob but a much more manageable saw for a bore. Maybe on a shallow lean, the 30" bar, take the sides in and fast back cut is the way but on a hard lean the scales could tip in favour of boring. Thoughts?

Edited December 15, 2017 by AHPP