Massive storm clean up

[workinonit]

That cleanup is a little bit similar to our Hurricane Hugo cleanup in '89. I've never seen or experienced anything like that before or since.

 

[Hay Dude]

Just looking at pictures here from the comfort of the AC... It looks like some of that you might could remove the big stuff and use a forestry mulcher to groom it up. Or maybe use the mulcher and track hoe in tandem. Mulch up to the big stuff and move it as it's being uncovered. Admittedly I'm not experienced with a mulcher but, if you are going to grind the smalls anyway, maybe it would save a step to just mulch in place vs carrying everything to a stand alone grinder? Possibly the grindings from the mulcher would protect and repair the ground from the damage from the tire ruts and steel track damage at the same time? Also as an added bonus, each area would look complete as you go vs working bigs then smalls then ground repair in a large area.

It’s all on a considerable slope.
What we are doing is taking the damaged trees down, delimbing them, and stacking them for the log truck. Then we are making large limb & brush piles to be chipped later. The grounds crew may do the chipping, or we may do it with a tractor pulled large diesel tandem chipper.

Few pictures from today.

 

[Yander]

Looks like a good time to me. I love tree cleanup. Never had anything nice like that to do it with though. Though I've never done anything that large either.

 

[Hay Dude]

Makes for one whupped feeling at end of the day!

 

[Rustyiron]

Looks like you have this well under control.

 

[Hay Dude]

Looks like you have this well under control.

For now!
Never know what the future will bring.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

It looks like money $ to me.

 

[2manyrocks]

Wonder if a Wallenstein or similar tractor tree winch would be at all helpful on a job like this? (From the viewpoint of being able to winch trees off a slope without operating the tractor on the slope) Or if these trees are just too big?

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

That 315 looks real similar to the Hitachi 160 I've been using. I've had the 160 on some serious slopes and it has stayed pretty stable. It will get lots of work done for you. Sure is a beaut Clark.

Y'all have made lots of headway already it looks like. That area is going to clean up nice.

 

[Hay Dude]

Back at it today. I dropped 25 trees today myself. The biggest was about 48”. Most were 30-36”.
Working on the slope, picking your legs up in between thousands of fallen branches Get tiring. We are taking tomorrow off and back at it on Friday. Owner seems pleased, but broken hearted at seeing the trees, once majestic, being taken down.

The 261C has held up pretty well. Switched to more aggressive chain to enhance the experience. My Makita 6401 sits in the bed of the truck dead. If you don’t have the Husqvarna gas/oil can, get one.

One of the bigger & straighter pine logs. About 42” across and 30’ before it split.

This one really fell with a thud. What a time consuming mess cutting all the main branches off the central truNk.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve been working on a 1300 foot driveway clearing project. Having working ac in the trackhoe would really be nice this week. I wish we could do underground electric. It’s maybe 30ft wide in that picture and has to be 50 ft to accommodate overhead wires.

 

[Smokeydog]

Agree the Husqvarna fuel/oil containers are great for this type of work. When I got mine the dealers couldn’t sell them because the orange color didn’t meet US regulations for gas but could find them thru global importers like Amazon.

Massive cleanup, high hazard work, professional progress.

 

[Hay Dude]

Friday was another good day. We are starting to see the clean up of this area get to the point where it feels like it’s under control. There are 3 other clean up zones that haven’t been touched yet. Owner still deciding what they want to do with them.
We nicknamed this area as the “pine grove” clean up zone.

We have gotten to the bottom of the hillside. Towards the bottom, you see the tree line where it turns to Cherry, poplar and other hardwoods. In the opening to the right was all 100+ year old white pines.

The Cat 315 has been a great tool for finishing off trees rather than cutting them all the way through with a saw.
Especially lopsided crooked trees and you have no way of knowing which way they will fall.

The pine grove debris field is probably about 8 acres of complete destruction.
As you can see, getting rid of the trees is just the beginning. We have mountains of branches & tree tops to handle as well as the logs.

I estimate we have cut down over 75 trees at this point.

I have no idea what will become of the stumps. The head grounds keeper said leave them high so they are visible. I may have future work with a self propelled stump grinder……

 

[2manyrocks]

Maybe he is thinking about pushing the stumps out with a dozer?

 

[sea2summit]

Friday was another good day. We are starting to see the clean up of this area get to the point where it feels like it’s under control. There are 3 other clean up zones that haven’t been touched yet. Owner still deciding what they want to do with them.
We nicknamed this area as the “pine grove” clean up zone.

We have gotten to the bottom of the hillside. Towards the bottom, you see the tree line where it turns to Cherry, poplar and other hardwoods. In the opening to the right was all 100+ year old white pines.


View attachment 818020


The Cat 315 has been a great tool for finishing off trees rather than cutting them all the way through with a saw.
Especially lopsided crooked trees and you have no way of knowing which way they will fall.
View attachment 818021


The pine grove debris field is probably about 8 acres of complete destruction.
As you can see, getting rid of the trees is just the beginning. We have mountains of branches & tree tops to handle as well as the logs.


View attachment 818022


I estimate we have cut down over 75 trees at this point.


View attachment 818023


I have no idea what will become of the stumps. The head grounds keeper said leave them high so they are visible. I may have future work with a self propelled stump grinder……

I’m not a tree hugger, but it is sad to see so many go due to storm damage. Looks like you guys are knocking it out pretty quick for such a small crew though!

 

[Hay Dude]

I’m not a tree hugger, but it is sad to see so many go due to storm damage. Looks like you guys are knocking it out pretty quick for such a small crew though!

I know, right?
Took 100 years to grow and gone in minutes.
They would die if we left them standing and visually, it looks terrible.
In a sad sort of way, the severly damaged trees look better gone.

 

[Hay Dude]

Ran into a huge nest of bald face hornets.

 

[Molalla1]

Ran into a huge nest of bald face hornets.


View attachment 818057

You are doing a fantastic job!

 

[groundcover]

Ran into a huge nest of bald face hornets.


View attachment 818057

Hope they didn't connect! Almost lost a friend when he was in a tight spot, front glass on his Kubota mini raised and bumped into a nest like that. He was trapped in the cab until he could paddle back to a spot where he had enough room to jump free. By the time I got to him he was on his hands and knees almost out of it, got an ambulance ride and a night in the hospital, he didn't even remember me being there.

 

[Hay Dude]

yeah those baldies are scary