Cutting timber on a windy day/ give me some stories

[CCC4]

This guy right here is a loose cannon for sure! OMG....40 mph gusting winds 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQfCUegWbVU

[Ed_K]

That looks like the black oak I've been cutting, hollow for 10'  >:( :( .

[CCC4]

Yep...lost 8 or 10 feet on that one...makes for a poor production day with tons of gas usage.

[luvmexfood]

Was cutting a tall poplar Tuesday. Not even what one would call a breeze blowing. Had notch cut and plunged in on both sides and made my hinge. Started the backcut and when got a good backcut going removed the saw to set a wedge.

Breeze blowed the tree causing it to set down on the backcut. Was able to get in a couple of wedges and brought it back except for one side. Long story short after finishing the cut and adding another wedge it went down at a 90 deg angle from the intended direction. Actually worked out better for skidding.

[so il logger]

Black oak has been running bad around here too. Had some that would'nt clear up just had to leave whole tree's in the woods. Be safe

[gologit]

I usually cut redwood, fir, pine, and cedar in northern California and southern Oregon. You guys that cut multi stem hardwoods might not be able to use some of our tricks but maybe something will be useful.

I'll cut in quite a bit of wind if the wind favors the lead. If the wind is pushing in the direction of the lead it usually works out pretty good. If I'm quartering across a hill or laying directly across with the wind quartering behind me I can usually play the wind a little, use a tapered hinge or a kerf dutchman and stay in lead.. The back cut needs to be done as fast  as possible to avoid a barber chair.
I'll usually start wedging early and stay wedged up tight if the tree is coming down on the wedges and then lifting off of them as the wind moves it. If I can I'll stack two wedges so the tree doesn't set back as far on the recoil from the wind. Pine and fir are easy to holdup with stacked wedges but our cedar, especially the old growth or old second growth, can be brittle.  If you try to lift it too much when you're sawed up quite a ways it can snap the hinge before you're ready.  I watch cedar real close when it's windy.

If I'm using jacks and the wind doesn't favor the lead I'll watch the gauge on the jacks extra close.  The recoil from the wind...the tree setting down on the back cut... can redline the jacks.  You don't want a blow out.

All that being said, I've never seen an accident or a fatality that could be directly attributed to cutting in too much wind. I'm sure there have been some, I've just never personally seen any. The reason for that is that when it gets bad enough that all of our little tricks don't work any more and things start going sideways we just call it a day and pack out. That's our decision to make.  We don't make it lightly because a short day equals short money but we don't want anyone getting hurt either.
There have been people who argued with us when we quit because of the wind but we don't usually work for people like that if we can help it.

[so il logger]

Thanks for the reply I like learning from other pro's from different regions. We live in two different worlds as far as how our species of timber reacts. I blame it on heavy tops around here. Not many trees can we make a face and then back cut from the rear goin toward the face without having a barber chair. Most guys around here make theyre notch and then bore behind the notch to leave a narrow hinge and clean the center section before turning loose of the trigger wood "back cut" I use a technique alot called match cut. Although isn't near as safe. Just be safe out there

[ST Ranch]

Agree with gologit - I too cut 95% conifer softwoods [spruce, pine, larch, fir, etc] and use the wind to my advantage, when it is in my favor.  It is all about timing, using wedges and having a very sharp fast saw to finish the backcut at the appropriate time.  I do not cut in major wind strom, but most afternoons, local winds often develop and one can use them to your advantage.
Tom

[John Woodworth]

Did one job, nice fir two to three foot, wind was blowing steady not gusting, I was falling and my partner was bunching behind me with a excavator and it went so fast he couldn't keep up with me. Wind can make or break you, common sense and experience are your guidelines.

[so il logger]

Yes sir, I fully agree thank you john woodworth for the reply.