Middle pasture tree trim

 I finished with the tree branch trimming on a middle pasture tree.    I have things to do before Winter arrives but this tree annoyed me.  There is another tree in the middle pasture, but that tree is among other trees so it's dead branches are smaller and not as noticeable.  The tree I just trimmed is bigger and stands alone from the other trees and is quite noticeable when I am out in the pasture.

Here is the tree in the Spring before I cut up the downed part of the tree.  As you can see the tree's branches were still alive.  But those branches died as Summer started.

By September this is how the tree looked.

In the Spring after I had cut up the fallen part of the tree, I stacked the cut logs against the tree.   Then the cattle would tip and roll some of the logs.  I would restack the logs and the cattle would tip and roll them again.  Over and over we went during the Summer.

Earlier this week I started to cut the dead branches off.  This would make the tree look better.  I thought it would take me a day.  It took me many days.  Initially I started with the ladder on the ground.  I used my chainsaw.  But as I got near the top of the ladder I stopped using the chainsaw.  Holding a running chainsaw off to the side at the top, and at that height, wasn't safe.  

While the chainsaw cuts faster than using a handsaw, it still was slow going as I moved slowly.  So I switched to using a handsaw.  Slower to cut the branches but I only needed one hand; the other hand I could hold on to another tree branch for stability.  Even so I only cut a small number of branches each day.  The longer I spent cutting the quicker I wanted to go.  That is where one can make a mistake.

I had "topped out" with the ladder on the ground. I still had branches to cut. Then I put the ladder in the pickup's bed to get more height.  I continued to use the handsaw.  I again only cut a few branches each day so I wouldn't start to rush.  I was standing at the top of the ladder and holding on to other branches and reached up to cut the top branches.  Then to lower branches.  That way, if I started to fall I would have a "lower" branch to grab on to.  Fortunately I didn't have to do that.

Once all the branches were cut on the left side I moved the pickup and ladder around to the other side of the tree.  I am left-handed and I only wanted to cut branches on my left side and not try to use my right hand to cut branches.

Once I moved the pickup and ladder to the other side I had no branches to hold on to with my right hand.  The tree trunk is split at the top and I was able to hold on to part of the split.

It took me a day to cut these last 8 branches.  2 on the left and 6 on the right in the photo.

Here is how the tree looks now that all the branches are cut off.

You can see I left a few short branch stubs on high.  I had used them to hold on to when cutting other branches on high.  A few short stubs left on high don't bother me.

Yes, the ladder is fully extended.  The ladder looks like it is fairly doubled up, but not really.  And the top ladder rung was on top of a small branch nub.  That helped keep the ladder top from moving side-to-side. (Yes, the ladder bottom was bungee corded to the pickup bed.  But stand at the top of the ladder and I still had a concern about a side-to-side movement as the tree trunk is round, not flat.)  So the ladder's hooks were almost an inch above the ladder's top rung, but still over the rung in case the top part of the ladder would slip off the nub.

I didn't cut the tree trunk near ground level because I have way more than enough logs right now for my wood stove.  I am leaving the tree standing so it can dry without me cutting and stacking the tree trunk off the ground to dry.  Saves me work right now.

Now that all the branches are cut off the tree I need to cut them into short pieces I can use in my wood stove.  I'm happy I no longer have high ladder climbing to do.