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That time a 40-foot maple in Boise split right down the middle during a removal
We were taking down a big old silver maple in a backyard, had the notch cut and everything. The hinge wood just gave way before the back cut was even finished, and the whole trunk split vertically for about 15 feet. My ground guy, Mike, had to jump clear as it kicked back. We ended up having to climb the mess and piece it out with ropes instead of felling it whole. Anyone else had a tree just decide to fail on its own terms mid-cut?
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kim_martin1mo ago
You say the wood had more attitude than the saw, but that's giving it too much credit. That split was pure physics, not attitude. A big old silver maple with internal rot or a hidden crack doesn't decide anything. It just fails when the structure is cut past its limit. Mike had to jump because the forces were wrong, not because the tree was being stubborn. Calling it attitude makes a simple structural failure sound like a personality.
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ellis.ben1mo ago
Ever have a tree just get sick of your plan? Sounds like that maple saw your notch and decided to do its own thing right then. Classic case of the wood having more attitude than the saw.
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