Dead elm removal

[se7enthdevil]

15 hours ago, DanBous said:

 

Are dead elms ok to climb? Brittle? Or really solid?!

They aren't huge, about 300 to 400mm across the bottom. Just quite close to a road so they can't be felled....

 

 

get lumps that size to a woodturner...

[Steve Bullman]

Climbed tons of dead elms.  Everythings already been covered really.  Watch out for the roots, and note that its a bugger to spike in.  I had my only ever fall when spiking on a biggish dead elm.  Nothing major, just gaffed our and slid about 6ft down the trunk scuffing up my chest.

[htb]

Steve, That will teach you for climbing topless

[MattyF]

Have done a few big elms , not many or in the league as my father ... can either be rock hard and solid or a pithy mess that breaks up when you fart on it, some times both and have had a few catch me out either felling or dismantling.

Just go steady and read the tree.. it does work nice on the hinge as been said !

 

[Mark Bolam]

Matty has a good point, a lot depends on how dead.

The middles always go before the sapwood, irrespective of the state of the bark.

I would normally say bin the throwline and spike from the bottom so you can feel how sound the tree is.

The thing is, a lot of dead elms we have done have been swamped in ivy, so the throwline is quicker....

Never climbed a big one though, 60’ to the tips would be the biggest.

The lads on 3-strand dealt with the monsters 30 years ago.

Thank fuck.

[htb]

Move up here mark plenty of big dead ones left.

Put hairs on your chest or take them off in steve's case

Edited November 14, 2018 by htb

[MattyF]

This one I had to dismantle to a stick to fit in a gap. I remember trying to swing a limb around rigging over a wall .. the limb started folding over nicely then just crumbled up and most dropped straight down before swinging .. going through dry stone wall! And leaving a 1ft section hanging on the rigging line... rest of the tree up until that point had been as hard as nails !

Since or before I’ve never had that happen on a dead tree and I would of least expected it to happen on elm!
Watch them felling too!

[agrimog]

put a plunge cut straight into the trunk about 3ft up, this will give you an indication of the state of the timber....from good, to running out like a tap....stinky black goo!

 

[DanBous]

 
get lumps that size to a woodturner...

I am a wood Turner in my spare moments [emoji4]

[DanBous]

Thanks guys for your helpful advice...will go steady, etc.