Spring pole cutting

The hill has now received a foot of snow already! Warmer for a few days, with rain tomorrow, so much of the snow will go away, hopefully without ice forming.

Recent work in the woods included taking down some spring poles with the bow saw.  The biggest was a large white ash (fraxinus Americana).  Permanently bent, spring poles create a lot of shade, limiting growth potential for smaller trees to the north.  Here's a pic of the ash prior to cutting.

After about 15 minutes of work, the felling cut (on the right) continues to open as the lean of the spring pole pushes the left side of the trunk downward with growing pressure.  The diameter of the tree at the cut is 9 inches.

This picture was taken looking in the opposite direction of the previous picture.  Continued cutting led to the demise of the spring pole.  Notice how the energy of the drop pushed about two feet of the tree backwards while ripping several feet of bark off.  The wood remaining above the cut is known as a barber chair, a frequent condition created when dropping spring poles.  Barber chairs make predicting the exact direction of the drop difficult.  That means getting out of the way before the big drop occurs.  Remaining in the cutting spot for this tree would have resulted in being hit by a tree weighing 40-45 pounds per cubic foot, with the energy of the fall to go along with it.  As in all felling operations, a clear work area is absolutely vital.  The advantage of the bow saw is the much slower drop compared to a big and powerful chainsaw.

In the spring, 22" cuts will be made and some splitting will occur here, then the future fuel heads up the hill.  White ash is one of the greatest firewood species in northern New England.  Because the wood retains little water, decay is inhibited.  If the tree remained on the ground and uncut for five years, almost no wood would be lost due to rotting.