Pull down a high widow maker.

[groundcover]

My go to for brush piles starts with LP weed burner.
leaf blower makes a fine bellows
the Dura Flame fireplace logs will help get a fire started but not cheap.
if things are really soaked I have soaked a hay bale with gas/diesel/used motor oil and fed the brush to it but that's a last resort.

 

[JasperFrank]

Its just crazy here in Jasper Oregon. Its getting to end of day, and I've been up and out since 7am shagging tree limbs to burn piles. There is no end to it. All I see is just more to do. A shower and a bit of wine, tomorrow is another day. Still, I wouldn't trade it for living in a city

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Some dangerous ones I use a rope saw. You can stand way off to the side and cut. Two things: wear really good leather gloves and once you start don't stop. If saw chain gets stuck it's a mess! Practice first on low limbs.
The last one was too close to other trees. I got it down with a 12ga and 00buck. Big limb and it took five shots but worked great...just straight across. Last shot I had my escape route planned out...BOOM!...& it came crashing down.

 

[ning]

^ Example of rope saw in action: A couple years ago my son and I cut down a big branch from an oak tree that was overhanging some gardens. Rope saw works best with two people I've found because then you can just have it contacting the cut at the top rather than most of the way around the branch like using it solo.

About ten years ago I had a 12+" oak branch coming out pretty much horizontally from the trunk of a tree that was right behind my shop. I considered climbing up on the tree and using a chain saw but that seemed a bit iffy, so I used the rope saw, solo wrap-around method, it got stuck a lot but made it through eventually (took forever). Funny thing, the tree fell a few years later and while a higher branch did hit the roof, the tree basically fell on the butt of the big branch I had cut with the rope saw previously and stopped the fall with minimal damage (had to fix a hole in the roof but no structure).

Another later solo rope saw cut I set up a pulley so that it was more like the 2-person method, just solo. Less getting stuck.

If you do have two people using the rope saw I find it easiest to put a branch through the handles, grasp with both hands, and pretend that you're just doing a zillion reps of a tricep pull-down exercise. You'll be sore tomorrow.

 

[JasperFrank]

Using most every method suggested, these piles just will not burn. Me thinks that the ice storm somehow saturated the wood with water. And I'll have let them dry out over the summer season.

 

[JasperFrank]

It might be that things have dried out a bit, but I used the small branch method yesterday and it worked. I filled the FEL with little sticks, and dumped them on the winded side of the piles. A quart of 3/4 diesel, 1/4 gas, in small plastic containers got them all started. So three big piles down and seven more to go today.
Its interesting that with this diesel/gas mix, that it isn't explosive. I can just use a Bic lighter to set them off. But YES, I should be using a sissy stick lighter anyway.

 

[two_bit_score]

It might be that things have dried out bit, but I used the small branch method yesterday and it worked. I filled the FEL with little sticks, and dumped them on the winded side of the piles. A quart of 3/4 diesel, 1/4 gas, in small plastic containers got them all started. So three big piles down and seven more to go today.
Its interesting that with this diesel/gas mix, that it isn't explosive. I can just use a Bic lighter to set them off.

Never mixed gas with diesel to start fires. I have used a gas leaf blower to help keep a fire started with diesel going.

 

[2manyrocks]

Another later solo rope saw cut I set up a pulley so that it was more like the 2-person method, just solo. Less getting stuck.

I'd be grateful to hear more how you did this.

 

[2manyrocks]

Wouldn't adding gas to diesel increase the risk from flammable vapors?

 

[JasperFrank]

Never mixed gas with diesel to start fires. I have used a gas leaf blower to help keep a fire started with diesel going.

This what the forestry guys said works. 3/4 diesel, 1 part gas. I had already figured this out, but it was nice to have that confirmed by the experts.