[TheForge] Brainstorming -- Trouble with trees (OT)

[Bruce Freeman]

Trees can be a bitch.  You turn around and they're enormous!  How do I
trim them now!!!?

I tackled the maple in my yard despite the risks because there was
just too much chance of property damage.  FIRST I ascertained that
there were no widow makers up there.  Then I brought it down in
stages.  I "pruned" off the top 40' or so.  It didn't do real well
this past year, but it looks like it will be okay.

But there are other trees I'd like to tackle and I really don't want to.

I makes me wonder if there couldn't be a "techno-fix."  Imagine a
little remote-control vehicle that climbs trees and saws off limbs or
tops the trees.  I can almost manage to mentally assemble the
tree-climbing part from one or two toy cars.  I'm having a little more
trouble with the saw.  The best idea I have is an electric chain saw.
A rotary saw might work, but is much more limited in depth of cut.
I've considered an oscillating chain saw, but don't know that there's
any advantage.

The concept would be to drive this thing up to the lowest branch, get
above that and cut it off, and so forth.  When branches were removed,
the saw would be rotated horizontal and the tree cut down top to
bottom in manageable chunks.

The main advantage would be to keep the operator away from the tree.
The vehicle might be destroyed by a widow maker, but the operator
wouldn't be.  The main disadvantage is that WHEN a problem arose, it
might be difficult to extract the thing from the tree without risking
even greater danger.

An alternative concept would be a saw on a lift -- like a miniature
cherry picker.  Since no human would be on the cherry picker, it could
be much lighter weight.  Such a design would allow one or more arms in
addition to that carrying the saw.  Those arms could be used to
unstick the saw, etc.

I don't see this as a commercial product.  That would require making
it fool-proof, and I just don't see getting there.

I don't know that this idea will ever come into being, but I'd like to
exchange ideas, if anyone's interested.

-- 
Bruce
NJ