# Recommendations on taking down this large oak



## Mike_d_s (Jan 7, 2018)

Looking for guidance on what felling this tree and prepping for a mill should cost approximately. Also would appreciate any suggestions for someone in the Houston area. I'm looking for rough ideas, is this a $500, $1000, $2500, $5000 job? We'll burn the scrap here on the place, so it would just be for the felling and trimming for the mill.

You can see from the pics, this thing is pretty big. 50-60ft span and with a base that is maybe a 4x6ft oval. It's been ailing for a bit and last year it still budded out a light leaf cover, but it lost them early and I'm not holding out a bunch of hope for it.

Normally, for everyday maintenance of his place and typical trees, my dad and I would simply get out the chainsaws and tractor and get after it. But in this case we're going to need professionals. I realize that I'm sort of asking how long is a piece of string, but I'd to get a rough idea from the WB crowd on what they think so I can use it to weed out the guys who are clearly too low (maybe not experienced enough) and maybe weight the higher bids a bit.

We'd like to ultimately get it milled, so any advice on what to watch out for there also appreciated. I've taken a couple of smaller (relatively) pecan logs to a local guy who charged by the bf, but this is a whole other animal, so I'm happy to admit I'm completely out of my depth here.

Also, for a trunk of this size, any suggestions on what to do with it in terms of cutting it up? While it looks mostly solid, there is potentially some hollow section on the top and lower left, but it's not really open enough to see up into it, I'm just going from what I can see easily.

Thanks,
Mike

Reactions: Like 3


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## Mike1950 (Jan 7, 2018)

Nice tree- but I cannot help


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## vegas urban lumber (Jan 7, 2018)

problem being most mills would like 8 plus foot of straight log to mill. i'm not exactly sure but there might only be a few in there that a mill would deal with. as has been said in the past a mobile mill that you might find through woodmizer is probably your best bet. often 50 cents to $1.00 a board foot may be their charges. as for felling looks straight forward drops as there is little to no obstruction. a good feller could have it down in a day or two, logs bucked and limbs removed. might be as little as $1000 to have it cut down. does look like it might present some excellent slabs if done right. i try to include the crotch at the end of each log so that my slabs have a crotch feather feature at one end. some fellers may cut the crotch off the end of the logs presenting clear logs, that works if you can turn the crotches into bowl blanks, but removes a lot of character from the resulting slabs

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Schroedc (Jan 7, 2018)

What variety of oak? If it's white oak might be worth the trouble to quarter saw.


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## vegas urban lumber (Jan 7, 2018)

boards with cleanest wood, would be cut like this

Reactions: Agree 1


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## vegas urban lumber (Jan 7, 2018)

slabs for live edge cut from logs like this will contain the most character

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1


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## Mike_d_s (Jan 7, 2018)

From the spread and stature, I'm assuming it's a live oak. But no guess at what specific type.

I think my preference would be to go for slabs with crotch figure. I can go buy 8/4 and 4/4 oak down here all day long for reasonable prices, but large slabs are another thing entirely. Not to mention that if they are any good I should be able to sell a few to make back some of the cost of the felling and milling. 

I should have gotten a pic with some standing next to the tree to give the size. Standing on the ground next to it, I can't see over the main crotch in the pic. The limb going out of the back of the pic is about the same dimensions as the one on the front left. 

Appreciate the input so far.
Mike


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## Karl_TN (Jan 7, 2018)

If you're willing to sacrifice a section or two of the fence then this should be a easy tree to drop (with a 85cc or bigger chainsaw). The price to have it taken down depends on how much cleanup work you're willing to do. Maybe $350 to $700 to bring it to the ground and have the large sections cut as Trev suggested. You and your dad could then tackle the rest with a smaller saw and tractor.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike_d_s (Jan 8, 2018)

Cleaning it up once its on the ground is no issue. My worry is more about getting it to the ground first. 

We've been letting the kids drive the smaller tractors and gator since they were young, so fence repair is nothing new for us.....

Reactions: Funny 3


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 8, 2018)

I'd take part of the fence down, and save some effort if the cross boards are good. Hell, need to move that ringer so you don't loose your outdoor laundry station...


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## phinds (Jan 8, 2018)

Mike_d_s said:


> From the spread and stature, I'm assuming it's a live oak.


And yet you said it drops its leaves.


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## Mike_d_s (Jan 8, 2018)

Yep, it should be keeping its leaves if it's a live oak. But I think it's been sick a while as it started dropping leaves around August last year which is definitely not seasonal down here. I just specifically remember that it lost its leaves over the winter 16/17 and then budded out a light leaf cover in the spring. But I can't honestly remember what it did the year before. 

It might be a different oak, but I think the leaves are more health related than anything else.

Mike


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## rocky1 (Jan 9, 2018)

What else is in the way, that you're going to need professional help removing it Mike?

Whoever does this is probably going to drop each tree in the cluster individually, they're not going to try and take it off at the ground. Trying to pull all of that in any given direction sawing it at the ground, is subject to cause the trunk to split, wherein you lose control of the entire tree and create a difficult if not dangerous situation felling it. One at a time, they should come down fairly easy. 

Personally, I'd have the kids tear the fence down before sawing it; it'll be much easier to tear it down than pick up the pieces after it falls on it.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Mike_d_s (Jan 9, 2018)

Yes, I agree, we wouldn't actually drop the tree on the fence rails, but I'm willing take my chances with the posts. If we have to replace one or two, it won't be any more work than pulling them and resetting later. 

Other than a few small decorative items like the wringer, there's nothing else around the tree that's would need to be moved. 

You have to know your limits and my gut feel says this is not a tree for an amateur. Add that to the fact that the biggest chainsaw we have on hand wouldn't reach to the center of some of these limbs and I just figure getting help is the way to go.

Reactions: Like 1


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## rocky1 (Jan 9, 2018)

Limitations on the saw is a big factor, but it shouldn't be a big job with enough saw. Should come down fairly easy.


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## John Brock (Jan 9, 2018)

I had a similar need, but I didn't have a tree. Perhaps this story of what I did will give you some ideas.

20 years or so ago, I needed a single tree supply of quartersawn white oak for my projects I wanted to match for color and grain pattern. I contacted a couple brothers down in Cottage Grove, OR that had a bandsaw mill on a trailer and a large unheated building for air drying. They didn't have anything then but said they would call soon, probably after a storm when farmers would call for help removing a downed tree.

They called back that winter after a big storm that took down one of the big oaks like yours that are prevalent in the pastures and fields around western Oregon. I gave them my cutting order and asked that the sapwood be trimmed away as part of the order as well.

They called back again 3-1/2 years later when the wood had reached about 6% moisture. I bought all 725 board-feet of it at $3.25 bf. My old 72 Dodge pickup was loaded to the gills for the drive back to Seattle. I stickered it in a detached garage at the old house and ultimately moved what was left (about 600 bf by then) to the new house. 

Now it's stacked and sorted in the new shop in a big warehouse style steel rack (10 x 4 x 8) I picked up for scrap steel prices.
I'm slowly using it for projects and it's great wood. That little cactus stand table is some of it.

If you have the room and the patience, it's a great way to get some excellent wood.


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## Mike_d_s (Jan 9, 2018)

I have an outdoor kitchen in my future plans. I had a nice thought of having a nice set of live edge slab tops for the counters for that. 

My dad wants to give it until the spring and see what happens. If it leafs out again, we'll probably let it go. Otherwise we'll take it down in the later spring.

Appreciate the input.

Mike

Reactions: Like 1


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## vegas urban lumber (Jan 10, 2018)

Mike_d_s said:


> I have an outdoor kitchen in my future plans. I had a nice thought of having a nice set of live edge slab tops for the counters for that.
> 
> My dad wants to give it until the spring and see what happens. If it leafs out again, we'll probably let it go. Otherwise we'll take it down in the later spring.
> 
> ...


even a partly dead tree will have a much lower moisture content during the winter than during the growing season. that correlates to winter cut trees drying a bit faster once down and milled. if you don't take it this winter. waiting to fell it till next winter, unless storms may damage it, would be my suggestion

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Robert Baccus (Jan 14, 2018)

Might consider taking it down limb at a time--safer to cut up. Live Oak may be a problem--it is the devil to mill and use for anything except building old sailing ships--might be hard to get milled or sold or used. Book calls it the hardest tree in the U.S.--dam hard to turn yeah.


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## rocky1 (Jan 14, 2018)

Can't say that it's real ugly green Robert. Once it dries, that's a whole different ball of wax. Have a few that died and were standing in the field. They make fantastic firewood, burn HOT and Clean. Stuff will wear a chainsaw blade out in a hurry, damn sure hard in that respect, but I really didn't find it that bad to turn. Probably because of all the checks! I honestly don't know, but it wasn't bad to turn. Off the top of my head I would guess the piece below is probably 10" x 13" x 2 1/2".

Hit this piece with the ax and it popped right open exposing this curly stuff in the crotch, figured I'd try and save it.

I have never seen anything with so damn many checks in it in my life!







 









This is what I managed to salvage out of the other half of the above log. Every time I started into anything on it I ran into multiple fractures, attempted gluing it up, but I had pieces flying off, pieces wanting to fly off, pieces flopping around that wouldn't fly off. It's to dense to stabilize, won't soak up any resin, to stick anything together, haven't tried casting it yet to see if I can get it to stick together. It's wonderful stuff! Need to just go ahead and burn it and rid my life of it, have 20+ ft. of 16" trunk.


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## Robert Baccus (Jan 15, 2018)

Very pretty crotch---Wow. LO green cuts like froz butter--yellow and white in color--I was trying to cut larger pieces than you I thinks. BTW--BTU content of wood is proportional to its dry density--it does make great firewood, better than even mesquite.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Digginestdog (Feb 3, 2018)

Schroedc said:


> What variety of oak? If it's white oak might be worth the trouble to quarter saw.



That's a Quercus virginiana. Almost 100% sure just by the bark and low crown... very typical of Q. virginiana. Live oaks actually do shed their leaves each year, but they have new ones come in right behind the old ones, so they have leaves all year. White oak has a definitive shaggy bark similar to a couple of hickory species, and also grows more upright and doesn't have a low crown.


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## Digginestdog (Feb 3, 2018)

Mike_d_s said:


> Yep, it should be keeping its leaves if it's a live oak. But I think it's been sick a while as it started dropping leaves around August last year which is definitely not seasonal down here. I just specifically remember that it lost its leaves over the winter 16/17 and then budded out a light leaf cover in the spring. But I can't honestly remember what it did the year before.
> 
> It might be a different oak, but I think the leaves are more health related than anything else.
> 
> Mike



Mike, as I stated under another post here. I'm sure it is Quercus virginiana. They will grow without branching low, but that low crown is classic Q. virginiana (although I have seen a few other oaks with low crowns, the bark and leaves didn't match virginiana), and they do lose their leaves, but should have new ones budding out right behind the old ones so it appears to have leaves year round. I'm in a warmer climate and all of my Live oaks have leaves all the time, but I can assure you they shed their leaves at least once a year. If you have a pic of a leaf from the tree, that would be the most definitive clue to the species. Q. virginiana will be lancet-shaped, very cupped, green on the top side and light green on the bottom, and somewhat hard for a leaf (the cupping may contribute to it's rigidity). Acorn should be about 3/4 inch in height and width. I'll have to check to see if there is a delay in producing new leaves in colder climates. And, I was told there is a delay in colder climates.


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## Digginestdog (Feb 3, 2018)

Digginestdog said:


> Mike, as I stated under another post here. I'm sure it is Quercus virginiana. They will grow without branching low, but that low crown is classic Q. virginiana (although I have seen a few other oaks with low crowns, the bark and leaves didn't match virginiana), and they do lose their leaves, but should have new ones budding out right behind the old ones so it appears to have leaves year round. I'm in a warmer climate and all of my Live oaks have leaves all the time, but I can assure you they shed their leaves at least once a year. If you have a pic of a leaf from the tree, that would be the most definitive clue to the species. Q. virginiana will be lancet-shaped, very cupped, green on the top side and tan on the bottom, and somewhat hard for a leaf (the cupping may contribute to it's rigidity). Acorn should be about 3/4 inch in height and width. I'll have to check to see if there is a delay in producing new leaves in colder climates. And, by the way, did you get it cut down yet?



Okay, I see your comment that you're going to leave it for awhile to see if it's dying or going to make it.


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