Choosing the right tree to winch off.
Sounds simple but time after time I see people winching off trees that are not suited for the job.
My old man took us all over Australia dozens of times but I always remember the trip to Wonnangatta Station. Coming over the ridges to the valley can get tough and one time a car got stuck and they winched off a massive tree.
I was in front of the tree about 8 years old and the winch pulled the tree down and landed literally in front of me about 10cm's away.
The tree had a girth of 1 metre and would've killed instantly. Imagine that for my old man back then!
What no one knew at the time that it was pretty much hollowed out from the borers.
Quick point to look out for when selecting trees.
- Check the growth on the tree, are their dead limbs and signs of the tree struggling. It's a sure sign of the tree being eaten and weakening It's trunk.
- What's the ground like around the tree? If it’s full of water and muddy, this can also weaken the root system footings.
- What type of tree is it? Most type of native gums have a deep root system and are perfect to winch off whereas an introduced species may not have adapted well to the environment and only root down half a metre or so and spread themselves thin.
- Has it been dry for long periods. Some smaller trees may suck up too much water in these periods to survive and become too top heavy.
- Just step back and have a look. How's it growing, how's it looking, is it on too much of an angle, does it look weak, etc.
Feel free to add more as It's good to know these things when selecting trees.
