Our division secretary is up in years and lost her husband a few years back, so I've done a little tree work for her when she's needed it. Well, after our storms, she informed me she had a 'hanger' in one of her trees, so I was eager to check it out.

Pretty good sized limb, probably eight inches or so in diameter and it was broken about half way out the limb. The limb had a bunch of smaller limbs on it hanging down. So I install my rope and take off.

I cut all of the limby stuff using a balance between my main tie-in and redirects with my lanyard. I was about even with the cuts, so they would fall below me. Next I made a cut on the bigger limb, in this case the hanger and that got rid of a lot of the limb, but left a sizeable stub and it's still hanging. I tried to get on top of the limb to finish it off, but just didn't make it.

So the next weekend (yesterday) I went back to finish off the hanger. I had a new plan and that was to climb the limb via limb cinches just like a small diameter trunk cinch method. However, this limb starts at a fairly steep angle and pretty quickly transistions to almost horizontal.

One problem with this limb is that it is isolated. There's nothing above or to the sides to do any redirects on, and my main tie in, though high in the tree, really still pulled me away from the limb. Well, it didn't take long to discover my vertical 'cinching' method was simple futile where the limb began to angle. The slant captured my harness ascender against the trunk and I couldn't advance. So I still haven't got this limb.

I have two more approaches to try. One, I can do a redirect with my rope over a fork very near where the limb is broken. The redirect will keep all my weight from bearing on the limb and should be very secure. The only reluctance I have with this is it puts me a bit under the limb and I could wind up with it hung on me .

The other approach is to use a more conventional 'trunk' cinch method that would alleviate the ascender binding problem I had before. This method would position me on top of the limb out of harms way.

I'd post some pics but it wouldn't really depict the problem well enough to help.

The third way that is looking more and more attractive is to cut it down with my 12 ga tactical shotgun!

Now I have to go back next weekend and try again - kinda - "...don't throw me in that briar patch!"

Interesting problem, Ron! I'd like to see a pic but can appreciate how a picture can't capture some things. Perhaps a diagram would help. I would be great to see your solution, too. Take care!

I'm not sure when I could go by and get some pics, but I may give that a try. It looks easy from the ground; I'm afraid the camera will 'see' it the same way.

It works. When I was a young kid I was out in the woods squirrel hunting and saw a "brancher" great horned owl sitting up in the tree and wanted to take a closer look. It was not in a very easy place to just climb up so I took my 22 and after 40 shots or so, the owl and limb came down.

A buddy of mine was there doing some other stuff and took this picture (among many others). This will show part of the problem.

First let's get oriented. You see the leader behind me - that's the leader the limb is on. I'm tied in about as high as I can get in the tree. You can find the limb by tracing the leader up and over to the left. You can see the stubs where I've already cut the limby stuff off; the stubs are just below the middle of the pic height-wise at the left.

It's difficult to see, but there's just not much to tie to once you get up so far on the limb and it starts to level off.

It may be most straight-forward to use a redirect and hang below the limb, and make several cuts of smaller sections and work my way back.


DSCN0250 by ron.0000, on Flickr

Yeah, Ron, I can see the dilemma. Just some thoughts:
It looks like you're double-crotched-in which looks good + lanyard.

You could consider one or two endless-sling-foot-loops (pic below) for standing above the cut.

If you've got to work from below -- make several small cuts, like you said. However, that's a lot of work if you're using a handsaw!!!

Another thought, you could make a single snap (bypass, pic below) cut -- attach a pull line -- move to a safe location, pull-snap-drop the stub safely.

Jack,

Many thanks for the thoughts. I've done the cinch thing before and a variation of it as well. The problem comes where the limb starts to go horizontal. I'd really like to not have my full weight on the limb. I think it'd be fine, but....

I'm getting ready to go look at it, I'll take some pics and have my helmet cam going this time. Yeah, cutting smaller chunks is hard, but so is trying to balance on top of the limb and cut at the same time.

Hmmm, the snap cut approach is a good idea, I especially like the part about me, "...move to a safe location...". Although, the limb would be horizontal where I need to do the snap cut, but if I'm careful, it still should work, then again, I'd be under a limb with snap cuts in it.

I'll take another evaluatory look at it before I start, but it's looking like the redirect may be the most straight-forward approach. Then again that might prove to be harder than I think like everything else I've tried has been.

Well, I just walked outside, the combination of heat, humidity, and direct sunshine is too much right now - I've not acclimated to those conditions yet, so I'm gonna wait and go early one morning.

Essentially the same shot but a wider view:

DSCN0254 by ron.0000, on Flickr

Is the hanger that big piece on the left side of your photo?

Looks like you can tie above where you are currently on the photo and come down to the fork then climb towards the hanger on the left and try to lasso it and attach it to the main portion of the tree. Put some pull with your Z-rig pulley and make it come towards you. (making sure you are out if its way).
I think you will be able to get it out of there.

King of hard to verify the situation from my desktop here in TX versus you being there and seeing all the potential hazards but be safe and work carefully and you will be satisfied with your job.

Final suggestion can you tie the pull rope from the grown to the hanger and pull it away from the tree that way? Look for potential targets on the grown carefully- Some of those hangers bounce all over when they fall down.

Thanks so much Oldtimer. I know what you mean by, "...Kind of hard to verify the situation from my desktop here in TX..." plus the camera just can't depict it the way it really is.

You got it, the hanger, mostly a short broken stub, is on the left in both pics. I hear ya on the tie-in higher. I'm tied much higher than where I'm located in the pic. In fact, if you look closely at the first pic, you can see how my rope goes way up and out of sight behind limbs. I've actually come down quite a ways from the TIP so I can swing over to the leader. My rope is about at a 45° angle when I'm up on the leader close to where it starts to roll over to horizontal, so my rope (and angle) is fightin' me pretty good as I ascend the leader.

The limb is large enough to walk (I think; I'd have to look at it again, probably be a bit bouncy, but I've walked pretty bouncy limbs), but I don't have a good way to get on top of the limb and if i could I don't have a good auxiliary TIP to help with balance.

In thinking about cutting and pulling from the ground, I do believe that would be a viable option if I had an experienced ground man. Here's my ground crew:


DSCN0264 by ron.0000, on Flickr


DSCN0260 by ron.0000, on Flickr

A guy just can't get good help these days!

I do have the option of cutting the entire limb at once, and that point would be a bit easier to access and work at, but that's a pretty big chunk to free drop and wouldn't you know there's a fence almost right under it.

Hmmm, I've been mulling over some of the suggestions and looking at the pics. I see there's a near vertical limb at what would almost be a critical point. Not only would the crotch of that limb and the larger limb it's on (the leader with the stub) be useful in getting up to the limb of interest, but it may be big enough to provide sufficient auxilary support for positioning and balance.

It may be too small, because I've noticed the limb before and at the time I may have decided it would flex too much to be useful. I'll have to look at that again.

I'll get the limb down, but I think my exporatory nature has kicked in and I'm enjoying exploring the options - especially since this is just for fun and exercise.

There was no pay involved so that's good; I was afraid there for a minute she was gonna charge me to play in the tree.