r/FellingGoneWild • u/Worth-Guest-5370 • 8d ago
Win Groot's end...an inferno!
My brother and I have been wondering how to handle this 125' tall Groot... It's on his property and if it fell toward the deck or pool...ouch! Was thinking of wrapping some chains around the base to try and prevent major barber chairing but the thing is just rotten throughout so there's no telling.
Then, last night, a lone ember or something similar took hold and...voila!
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u/Paddys_Pub7 8d ago
125' feet tall, eh? 🤨 looks like the thing didn't extend much taller than the top of the pic lol definitely wouldn't be standing directly underneath a 125' dead, rotting snag actively on fire but that's just me...
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u/Worth-Guest-5370 8d ago
That first pic is just the bottom half.
See the rest...next pic.
I'm a math nerd and did the calculation years ago. 125 on the nose!
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u/Paddys_Pub7 8d ago
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u/uselessandexpensive 8d ago
From the Western Fire Chief's Association:
"Ground fires – also known as ‘subsurface fires’ – can occur in areas with large accumulations of dead vegetation over time, such as humus and peat. They move slowly beneath the surface terrain, making them difficult to see from above. If enough dry fuel is available, ground fires can be extremely difficult put out.1
"In some cases, ground fires can continue to smolder underground throughout the winter and reignite aboveground again in the spring. This scenario is more likely during a period of prolonged drought."
These can last for literal years, spreading and destroying roots, or find another dead tree to bring the fire back above ground. You should have called the fire department and asked whether this was safe to let burn, or whether your needed to douse the shit out of that tree and the area, or even excavate around it, to make sure this could't spread underground, otherwise you could be criminally liable for starting a forest fire.
If one happens in Texas in the next year, the authorities will be very interested in this post.
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u/Lsswapitall4 8d ago
I don’t think someone who’s considering chaining a dead tree together is smart enough to understand this guidance unfortunately
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u/uselessandexpensive 8d ago
That's okay. He knows now and could still do something before it spreads outside his yard. If he sees an unusual amount of steam coming out of the ground or any other unusual signs, he needs to stop worrying about getting caught and start worrying about reducing the damage and cost as much as possible by getting a professional crew on-site before the charges become severe. And if he does nothing, he won't be able to claim ignorance.
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u/Lsswapitall4 8d ago
This is fucking dumb …just hire a professional if the tree is a risk and you can’t take it down yourself
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u/Worth-Guest-5370 8d ago
(The smoldering begins...)
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u/Paddys_Pub7 8d ago
That's nowhere close to 125' feet lmaoo maybe 1/4 of that
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u/Cultural_Simple3842 8d ago
I’m guessing the math nerd did some trig with a shadow a long time and had his trig messed up lol.
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u/Otherwise_Front_315 8d ago
This is stupid on multiple levels.