I'm having tree work done in north Florida. 2 adult trees for this area out and stumped. A 3rd needing a proper trimming. Restricted area. Talented arborist who does it right. 4500. Two day job. As we were talking I mentioned "Guilty of Treeson" He perked up and said "Love that guy." Still 4500 though. And worth every penny.
@@williamcarl4200awesome! I'm a climber and I'm from Gainesville. About an hour and a half from ya. Glad you got some good guys to get your trees done!
@@tbabajan Like any other skilled trade,you're not just paying for the work itself, you're paying for the usage of their equipment, their skill set and the training needed to obtain it, their experience, and whatever certifications they need to renew, as well as insurance and worker's comp.
When a tree gets damage deep past the bark into a large section of the cambium and sap layer low on the trunk like this one, it starts pumping sap up higher to try to help the tree survive. Its somewhat similar to when a person goes into shock, all their blood gets drawn into their core, same for a tree. That is why those branches were so heavy.
Fwew! This ground-dweller was holding his breath and helping you push the limbs away from the building. 😂 It's great to see a skilled and humble man succeed at his craft. Stay safe.
I think Husqvarna owes you a "statement" or explanation on how they plan on handling the safety issue of the stuck throttle with gloves. I'm experienced and even I'd be taken off guard with that. It could get my climb line, my tie-in, or my body at redline rpm. That's most certainly a legitimate safety issue that should be addressed by the manufacture. I like Husqvarna, especially their battery top handle, but I won't be buying this gasser model until they actively do something to address this. That's downright scary. I guess in hindsight I would know to hit the chain brake, but in the moment I don't know what I'd do.
@@mute7116 Some improvements are good though, I've had good luck with things like m-tronic and fuel-injection for less carb hassle and also decompression valves to save my shoulder from high compression pull-starts or captive nuts, etc. That said, I have to agree with you on some "improvements" because the 201 Stihl didn't really make any improvement over the 200.
@@iffykidmn8170 you'd have to use something to hit it, like the tree or the limb you're holding or whatever you can, but you're absolutely right, easier said than done, might not work depending on the scenario. Either way, not good. Husqvarna really needs to look into this. Have any of you out there seen this on any saws? I haven't in decades of work, and somehow on this saw, it happened twice on the same first day of use!
@@happycamper6352 we have some of the top handle huskys and I just think they're doggy and finicky starters. I love husky but, not these. I just got the 201 because I saw buckin' promoting it with the company "rip saw" and thought why not...running it stock and it's better than the huskys. Plan on sending it to rip saw to get the add ons. We shall see. Now granted, I haven't ran the 500i soooo, I'm probably just butt hurt cuz the huskys are letting me down.
Videos like this make me miss Washington. I lived in Bonney Lake for several years so I got to see Mt. Rainier nearly every day. Never got out so far on 410 as to get to Naches (only about to Enumclaw) except maybe once when I was a kid. Dad used to take us on occasional Sunday drives around Western Washington, which I never appreciated until I got older.
Jacob wanting that utility trailer sounds like he's closer to starting his own tree service company 🤣 Randy, a ground guy, and another climber to fill in when you're traveling... And you'll be set!
This makes me miss my days in Oregon and Washington. Lived 6 1/2 years Baker City and 3 1/2 years in Spokane, and the whole region was incredibly beautiful.
Raul sounds like a great, hardworking man. Good for him and his success! I love his smart setup, too. Nice that he gave you a shirt and cap! Hopefully he will call you again. Absolutely gorgeous scenery!
A pileated woodpecker did all them holes. He was eating the carpenter ants that are inside. His favorite meal. I have a mated pair around my place. Biggest member of the woodpecker family. I live seeing them, and yes, my trees have them ants.
I'm always grateful when you post a video! I've never even owned a chainsaw but the song of a chainsaw just does something to me. The wife hates it when I don't use headphones. 😂
I can confirm that this 0 experienced climber freaked the f!!! out when your glove got stuck in the throttle. Holy smokes man. When you tethered those limbs I was like dude you don't have a zip line for them wtf!! Then you trimmed them out as you did and I thought man that was slick. You are so good at your craft I truly enjoy watching.
From the westcoast Canada, I am a new arborist, and I really appreciate the knowledge your videos have given me. The woodpecker taps are from a Pileated Species.
Humble Cut-mumbojumbo. You're missing the benefit of having a 'tall' hinge. If you've got height difference between the fell cut and the initial cut, you've got a hinge that is flexible and holds a lot longer and can steer your tree until gravity takes over. No height difference - no flexible hinge - early breaking - gravity takes over. I'm sure you can visualize it ;)
Jake the nature you have there is awesome. Im dutch, NL/Europe and its very crowded here. What we call a forest here is barely a city park in the US. Even as a kid i wanted to live more in nature, away from people. Ill be 63 in december so i guess its not going to happen. I shoulda gotten 'rich' when i could, but i never really cared for money. Also, i was waiting for an image of the cross section where the termites are. Next time, put that in please ;]
Aerial Lift of Connecticut was the best bucket ever made in my opinion to bad they went out of business but they were very expensive compared to other companies
Love that beginning scene with the mountains and the waterfalls. I wonder if you see what is really there and how it came to be since you are doing now what was done before. Those rocks are petrified wood. You are one brave man Jake.
Just got my stickers from Sappy Supplies today, awful nice of you to throw in a few extras & hand write Thank you to a groundy like myself. Much love, safe cutting!
Happy Birthday!! We want to hear both side of the conversation!!! Please! Gorgeous scenery!!!!! My brother and his wife moved out there last year.....near Gold Bar. They love it. Great video!! Raul is awesome.....that trailer is sweet!!! Your editor is plumbing depths unknown with his skill and expertise! 😆 Have a good one!
Hello young man. That T540 is a nice saw. As you said, it's very ergonomic. I'm surprised no one told you how to tune in the saw at first start up on these new Gen huskys. Their electronically controlled fuel delivery. Everyday you start the saw, you have to hold half throttle or more for a few seconds, for the fuel system to acclimate to environmental condition. After that, your good to go. I also didn't see your 590xp with that sweet Japanese bar on it. It outperforms any stihl saw in its class Imo son. Especially with a well sharpened square grind on it. Anyhow,, thanks for another nice well done video, testosterone and ego free 😊. Congrats with your third child coming. Stay safe out there
I am glad you like Naches. It is a nice area. Thank you for introducing us to Big R Tree Service. (Do you know who he was climbing for.) I am still looking, those huge sycamores are brushing the top of my mobile home.
And Jake at any tree TH-camr you have to have the most subscribers I guarantee it by far the highest I ever seen was like 460 2009 believe you're almost at a million that is unbelievable buddy God bless
Wow i didn't realize you where so close to me I live in Maple Valley. i know exactly where that is. my family went up and around Mount Ranier just last weekend, just to take in the scenery. Keep up the good work and the great videos. maybe i will need your services one day
Kudos to you to be able to do this because I wouldn't be able to do this kind of job I'm extremely afraid of heights. And just watching you climb up there makes me have the nervous shakes
Im impressed, you pronounced it correctly, know exactly where you were, didnt even make it into eastern washington proper, you were still on the pass :P
I love WA. It is a beautiful state with so many fantastic roads with spectacular views. I've only been to Rainier once though. I spend my time up north.
Man I know it took every thing in your soul to hold back your masculinity for that one on one with the camera so much love and respect for you go through all the footage to make a tribute during this low
Those are carpenter ants. Surprised a tree guy has never seen termites. We have woodpeckers in the upper Midwest that could drill those holes. Google: Pileated Woodpecker. They’re huge!
Did you ever get a statement from Husqvarna over the issue with the throttle trigger sticking on because of the glove catching? That is one of the most dangerous things I've seen happening on a chainsaw and it's a wonder OHS hasn't been notified about the issue from someone else!
So I had these visions of termites holding mini chain saws and when you started invading their territory, coming after you with them. Sort of a termite chain saw massacre:) Cheers, Rik Spector
Love going through the mountains, never been on the west coast but it's similar driving threw the Poconos in upstate new york or the blue ridge parkway in the smokey mountains of Tennessee
looks related to Balsam fir , fast growing , short lived , weed species . cut it into short rounds because it maybe very hard to split ( glued together with pitch )
You have to tune that saw broski..find a 25 ft log on the ground and bury the bottom corner of the bar and walk backwards full throttle takes between 1-2 minutes..you will hear it change when it tunes 🙂
Did you gauge the depth of sound wood with your hooks when you climbed past the rotten stretch? The decay followed a strip kill by the Fir Engraver bark beetle on one side of the trunk (you can see the galleries on the surface of the wood); most likely, the decay got started because of deeper tunneling by larger wood boring beetles that bore into the sapwood and heartwood of trees under attack by bark beetles. OTH, could have been decay that was there already, that moved up in the heartwood, and the bark beetles selected the tree because it had been weakened (they can smell out trees with decay!). I think it was the former scenario, as the butt and stump looked perfectly sound. Plus the white fungal conk (not mature yet) looks like the type of fungus that decays dead wood and is not a pathogen that could kill sapwood, cambium and phloem; probably a young conk from red belt fungus (Phomitopsis pinicola), which you commonly see on snags and logs. Grand fir can get annosus butt rot (Heterobasidion annosus), a pathogenic fungus which can spread inside the trunk -- but you would see decay pockets in the stump, plus the fruiting body (conk) in your vid looks different; annosus decay fruits inside hollow areas or in the duff at the root crown, and not on the surface. Trees with it often windthrow when still live. Either way, I think I would have taken a cordless drill with a 12 in. by 1/8 in. bit and drilled on the "good side" opposite the decay to see how much sound wood there was. You determine sound wood depth by resistance to pushing the drill bit in, and the texture and color of shavings. If you have at least 30% for the cross sectional area, the trunk is likely in the comfort zone to climb above it and take the tree down from the top. A good, low cost risk assessment technique (you can spend a lot more on a Shigometer or Sonic Tomograph). But you still have to go with your gut. I wish you had showed what the cut ends of the logs looked like through the decayed area. If you had drilled, this would confirm (or not) your sound wood estimate. Just cut a good sized, triple trunked dead hemlock in Suquamish, WA. It had been killed by bark beetles and had a bunch of nice round wood pecker holes in the largest trunk at 10 - 25 ft. --- not ragged pileated feeding holes. Climbed a nearby maple to limb it and take out small tops with a pole saw. Then was going to climb it and chunk it down while roped to the maple -- but changed my mind while still on the ground the next morning. Good thing -- it broke up as it fell and more when it hit the ground. I had decided it would be better to count on enough holding wood for the hinge so I could fell the 70 ft. stubs away from the house (leaning towards the house) instead of a potentially much worse scenario for me. Oh, and one of the trunks had collapsed when I cut off a dead branch tangled in the maple! I used an ax to sound the butt and cut into it a bit, and estimated that there was about 50% sound wood at the base, with most on the back-cut side and in the middle; worked out fine -- but I left a lot of holding wood and banged wedges for a while! So if you see a lot of round nesting holes, that tree is likely on the mushy side, and more so up the tree than at the stump, especially if dead (a live one might have a pretty good outer rind of sound wood). And not safe to climb, even if tied into an adjacent tree.
I'm having tree work done in north Florida. 2 adult trees for this area out and stumped. A 3rd needing a proper trimming. Restricted area. Talented arborist who does it right. 4500. Two day job. As we were talking I mentioned "Guilty of Treeson" He perked up and said "Love that guy." Still 4500 though. And worth every penny.
And now people are starting to understand why tree work costs so much. One wrong move and it can be bad!
What part of North FL?
@@gideonowens3855 Jacksonville Beach.
@@williamcarl4200awesome! I'm a climber and I'm from Gainesville. About an hour and a half from ya. Glad you got some good guys to get your trees done!
@@tbabajan Like any other skilled trade,you're not just paying for the work itself, you're paying for the usage of their equipment, their skill set and the training needed to obtain it, their experience, and whatever certifications they need to renew, as well as insurance and worker's comp.
When a tree gets damage deep past the bark into a large section of the cambium and sap layer low on the trunk like this one, it starts pumping sap up higher to try to help the tree survive. Its somewhat similar to when a person goes into shock, all their blood gets drawn into their core, same for a tree. That is why those branches were so heavy.
Very informative answer, thanks mate.
Fwew! This ground-dweller was holding his breath and helping you push the limbs away from the building. 😂 It's great to see a skilled and humble man succeed at his craft. Stay safe.
I think Husqvarna owes you a "statement" or explanation on how they plan on handling the safety issue of the stuck throttle with gloves. I'm experienced and even I'd be taken off guard with that. It could get my climb line, my tie-in, or my body at redline rpm. That's most certainly a legitimate safety issue that should be addressed by the manufacture. I like Husqvarna, especially their battery top handle, but I won't be buying this gasser model until they actively do something to address this. That's downright scary. I guess in hindsight I would know to hit the chain brake, but in the moment I don't know what I'd do.
I think husky and stihl should just make em like they used to and stop "improving" crap for the agenda
@@mute7116 Some improvements are good though, I've had good luck with things like m-tronic and fuel-injection for less carb hassle and also decompression valves to save my shoulder from high compression pull-starts or captive nuts, etc. That said, I have to agree with you on some "improvements" because the 201 Stihl didn't really make any improvement over the 200.
Hitting the chain brake might be easier said than done if you're holding a limb in your other hand and can't just drop it without breaking shit.
@@iffykidmn8170 you'd have to use something to hit it, like the tree or the limb you're holding or whatever you can, but you're absolutely right, easier said than done, might not work depending on the scenario. Either way, not good. Husqvarna really needs to look into this. Have any of you out there seen this on any saws? I haven't in decades of work, and somehow on this saw, it happened twice on the same first day of use!
@@happycamper6352 we have some of the top handle huskys and I just think they're doggy and finicky starters. I love husky but, not these.
I just got the 201 because I saw buckin' promoting it with the company "rip saw" and thought why not...running it stock and it's better than the huskys. Plan on sending it to rip saw to get the add ons. We shall see.
Now granted, I haven't ran the 500i soooo, I'm probably just butt hurt cuz the huskys are letting me down.
Love hearing you talk about Jed!!!
Videos like this make me miss Washington. I lived in Bonney Lake for several years so I got to see Mt. Rainier nearly every day. Never got out so far on 410 as to get to Naches (only about to Enumclaw) except maybe once when I was a kid. Dad used to take us on occasional Sunday drives around Western Washington, which I never appreciated until I got older.
Jacob wanting that utility trailer sounds like he's closer to starting his own tree service company 🤣
Randy, a ground guy, and another climber to fill in when you're traveling... And you'll be set!
Two guys can do it. Three is the perfect number of skilled tree men for a well oiled machine.
Great job Jacob! Looks like you had fun. Keep up the good work and continue to enjoy!
This makes me miss my days in Oregon and Washington. Lived 6 1/2 years Baker City and 3 1/2 years in Spokane, and the whole region was incredibly beautiful.
Oh damn that glove getting caught in the throttle is dangerous as heck
Raul sounds like a great, hardworking man. Good for him and his success! I love his smart setup, too. Nice that he gave you a shirt and cap! Hopefully he will call you again. Absolutely gorgeous scenery!
Professional job all the way! 👍👍
those arent termites. termites do not infest live wood. Those are carpenter ants
Washington is so beautiful this time of year
Jacob,
Great job threading the needle between the building roof and the propane tank!
All the best!
A pileated woodpecker did all them holes. He was eating the carpenter ants that are inside. His favorite meal. I have a mated pair around my place. Biggest member of the woodpecker family. I live seeing them, and yes, my trees have them ants.
We are grateful for your skill and effort producing great content! I hope Jed’s family are doing ok? He sure was a master of his craft! Stay safe.
I'm always grateful when you post a video! I've never even owned a chainsaw but the song of a chainsaw just does something to me. The wife hates it when I don't use headphones. 😂
My wife says I'm watching timber porn
The 3M skull screws are really comfortable, in fact when it's really loud we use those AND our muffs.
I can confirm that this 0 experienced climber freaked the f!!! out when your glove got stuck in the throttle. Holy smokes man. When you tethered those limbs I was like dude you don't have a zip line for them wtf!! Then you trimmed them out as you did and I thought man that was slick. You are so good at your craft I truly enjoy watching.
I am really glad the TH-cam Algorithm recommended this channel. I absolutely love heights! If I had the training I would love doing this work.
I'm a new subscriber and you have revolutionized the way I eat salad. It's always a tube salad now. No mess, always the perfect bite.
From the westcoast Canada, I am a new arborist, and I really appreciate the knowledge your videos have given me. The woodpecker taps are from a Pileated Species.
Those are carpenter ants, thats probably the only reason you were able to clime it. They tunnel through the wood as opposed to eating it.
They’re building a treehouse?
Happy Belated Birthday Jake. Great Video. There is something so calming about watching your videos.
Humble Cut-mumbojumbo. You're missing the benefit of having a 'tall' hinge. If you've got height difference between the fell cut and the initial cut, you've got a hinge that is flexible and holds a lot longer and can steer your tree until gravity takes over. No height difference - no flexible hinge - early breaking - gravity takes over. I'm sure you can visualize it ;)
That very LAST scenic shot???
WOW! Just wow!
Jake the nature you have there is awesome.
Im dutch, NL/Europe and its very crowded here. What we call a forest here is barely a city park in the US. Even as a kid i wanted to live more in nature, away from people. Ill be 63 in december so i guess its not going to happen. I shoulda gotten 'rich' when i could, but i never really cared for money.
Also, i was waiting for an image of the cross section where the termites are. Next time, put that in please ;]
Aerial Lift of Connecticut was the best bucket ever made in my opinion to bad they went out of business but they were very expensive compared to other companies
i have 2 of them 55' and the 75'
I'm scared of heights and this is freaking me out--I feel like I'm going to fall. My heart is racing, I'm terrified.
You sir found one hell of a flaw in that mark 3 that needs to get fixed I think once it breaks in that saw will be great
Love that beginning scene with the mountains and the waterfalls. I wonder if you see what is really there and how it came to be since you are doing now what was done before. Those rocks are petrified wood.
You are one brave man Jake.
Just got my stickers from Sappy Supplies today, awful nice of you to throw in a few extras & hand write Thank you to a groundy like myself. Much love, safe cutting!
Happy Birthday!! We want to hear both side of the conversation!!! Please! Gorgeous scenery!!!!! My brother and his wife moved out there last year.....near Gold Bar. They love it. Great video!! Raul is awesome.....that trailer is sweet!!! Your editor is plumbing depths unknown with his skill and expertise! 😆 Have a good one!
Hello young man. That T540 is a nice saw. As you said, it's very ergonomic. I'm surprised no one told you how to tune in the saw at first start up on these new Gen huskys. Their electronically controlled fuel delivery. Everyday you start the saw, you have to hold half throttle or more for a few seconds, for the fuel system to acclimate to environmental condition. After that, your good to go. I also didn't see your 590xp with that sweet Japanese bar on it. It outperforms any stihl saw in its class Imo son. Especially with a well sharpened square grind on it. Anyhow,, thanks for another nice well done video, testosterone and ego free 😊. Congrats with your third child coming. Stay safe out there
Super dope video! “Bien Chingon” 😂
Enjoyed the video. You are really getting that Humboldt down. Very nice.
FYI there is some procedure on husky saws where you start it let it run wide open for so many seconds or something like that.
I am glad you like Naches. It is a nice area. Thank you for introducing us to Big R Tree Service. (Do you know who he was climbing for.) I am still looking, those huge sycamores are brushing the top of my mobile home.
Sucks having all of your gear gunked up like that. Some might even say you have... Sappy Supplies? 😁
Happy late birthday man 💪
Woody the Pileated Woodpecker. They can burrow caverns out of a tree. My neighbour made a beer restnest out of one of their tree diggings.
Those aren't termites, those are Carpenter ants. They love pine trees.
Just coming to say the same thing, beat me to it!
If there is dead wood in the tree they sure can
Was looking for this comment, just to be sure I wasn't mistaken 😅
I'm no entomologist but I knew they weren't termites
The carpenters around here are black. They can grow up to over half of an inch and bite like a mofo.
You've done a beautiful job, And that tree was beyond sketchy
Welcome to the east side! Thanks for helping out the Y. Chinook and White pass are both great drives
learnt alot from you videos Jacob, thanks! Could you some time do a tutorial on your humboldt technique? How to do the undercut right every time?
And Jake at any tree TH-camr you have to have the most subscribers I guarantee it by far the highest I ever seen was like 460 2009 believe you're almost at a million that is unbelievable buddy God bless
After rebuilding his whole channel it’s impressive how fast he grows.
@@FishFind3000 I know almost a million subscribers for a tree channel that is like unheard of
Happy belated birthday jake
Keep up the great work
THANK YOU!!!
Wow i didn't realize you where so close to me I live in Maple Valley. i know exactly where that is. my family went up and around Mount Ranier just last weekend, just to take in the scenery. Keep up the good work and the great videos. maybe i will need your services one day
Beautiful felling cut. You really nailed it!
Backcut was a fraction low....if I'm being hyper critical :)
Kudos to you to be able to do this because I wouldn't be able to do this kind of job I'm extremely afraid of heights. And just watching you climb up there makes me have the nervous shakes
My husky dealer didn't even know there was a mark 3 out, and doesn't know when he can get one.
that is amazing to see the Termites , can see you want a trailer like they have , one day you will get there for sure
Great video Jake!!!
Im impressed, you pronounced it correctly, know exactly where you were, didnt even make it into eastern washington proper, you were still on the pass :P
My oh my i really want some kind of portable shop like that gentleman has !
Impressive!
Not even a ding in the roof of the closest structure demonstrates your skills
That's a lot of equipment for a new company. Lots of payments too.
Happy birthday Jake 🎂🎂🎂
Its somewhat similar to when a person goes into shock, all their blood gets drawn into their core, same for a tree.
That was a very satisfying video to watch but I had so much anxiety for you with the tree rotted as much as it was. Holy smokes. Great job
Big R is good people for sure!
I love WA. It is a beautiful state with so many fantastic roads with spectacular views. I've only been to Rainier once though. I spend my time up north.
Good idea giving the saw Gatorade.
Awesome job brother
Great video Jake! Much love from central Massachusetts ❤️🤘🏻😎
Love your videos Jacob and happy belated birthday.
Amazing world record for saying "YEAH"
Did a bunch of pruning on Silver Fir trees at Snoqualmie Pass WA. They had lots of those sap blisters, loaded my ropes and zigzag with chicane.
Man I know it took every thing in your soul to hold back your masculinity for that one on one with the camera so much love and respect for you go through all the footage to make a tribute during this low
Those are carpenter ants. Surprised a tree guy has never seen termites.
We have woodpeckers in the upper Midwest that could drill those holes. Google: Pileated Woodpecker. They’re huge!
HI and gday from sunny Queensland ,Australia , top vid this one , thank you , cheers
Did you ever get a statement from Husqvarna over the issue with the throttle trigger sticking on because of the glove catching? That is one of the most dangerous things I've seen happening on a chainsaw and it's a wonder OHS hasn't been notified about the issue from someone else!
Great work. Enjoyed the video. We’d love to have you on the Gulf Coast.
00:00 wow, that is high!
Great video! As always! ❤❤❤
That tree reminds me of the old man in the bottom of the oil tanker in Water World when he sees he's about to be blown up. "Oh, thank God."
I just went over chinook pass on Sunday definitely a beautiful drive for sure
So I had these visions of termites holding mini chain saws and when you
started invading their territory, coming after you with them.
Sort of a termite chain saw massacre:)
Cheers,
Rik Spector
Thanks for the Spurs bud !
Love going through the mountains, never been on the west coast but it's similar driving threw the Poconos in upstate new york or the blue ridge parkway in the smokey mountains of Tennessee
looks related to Balsam fir , fast growing , short lived , weed species . cut it into short rounds because it maybe very hard to split ( glued together with pitch )
Way more solid at the bottom than I thought it would be. Trigger sticking was a bit sketch
Just got my set of wedges from Sappy Supplies. Sweet!
love the vids keep it up !
Sweet little mini-shop setup in the trailer! Kinda funny that even his battery saws are gas-powered. 😂
beatiful views from up there! 👍
Awesome profession thank for sharing
You have to tune that saw broski..find a 25 ft log on the ground and bury the bottom corner of the bar and walk backwards full throttle takes between 1-2 minutes..you will hear it change when it tunes 🙂
carpenter ants not termites but awesome take down!
I'm no expert, but the insects appeared to be what we call, in the Southeast, "Carpenter Ants". Were there termites in there too?
Crazy climb dude
Unbelievable skills !
Bless AWESOME 👏 video. Hope you & Raul work together AGAIN!!!!! Thanks 😊
Cool moss on the tree.
I like moss.
When you look down it gives me the shakes
Dang, that Husky's dangerous!
Wow absolutely beautiful place, so many trees. Need to go look really far in europe to even come close to a spot like that.
Thats awesome he gave u a hat and a longsleeve shirt as well. Looks like a good guy.
That was a great day’s work. Awesome job team.
Love the trailer shop.
Stay safe
Did you gauge the depth of sound wood with your hooks when you climbed past the rotten stretch? The decay followed a strip kill by the Fir Engraver bark beetle on one side of the trunk (you can see the galleries on the surface of the wood); most likely, the decay got started because of deeper tunneling by larger wood boring beetles that bore into the sapwood and heartwood of trees under attack by bark beetles. OTH, could have been decay that was there already, that moved up in the heartwood, and the bark beetles selected the tree because it had been weakened (they can smell out trees with decay!).
I think it was the former scenario, as the butt and stump looked perfectly sound. Plus the white fungal conk (not mature yet) looks like the type of fungus that decays dead wood and is not a pathogen that could kill sapwood, cambium and phloem; probably a young conk from red belt fungus (Phomitopsis pinicola), which you commonly see on snags and logs. Grand fir can get annosus butt rot (Heterobasidion annosus), a pathogenic fungus which can spread inside the trunk -- but you would see decay pockets in the stump, plus the fruiting body (conk) in your vid looks different; annosus decay fruits inside hollow areas or in the duff at the root crown, and not on the surface. Trees with it often windthrow when still live.
Either way, I think I would have taken a cordless drill with a 12 in. by 1/8 in. bit and drilled on the "good side" opposite the decay to see how much sound wood there was. You determine sound wood depth by resistance to pushing the drill bit in, and the texture and color of shavings. If you have at least 30% for the cross sectional area, the trunk is likely in the comfort zone to climb above it and take the tree down from the top. A good, low cost risk assessment technique (you can spend a lot more on a Shigometer or Sonic Tomograph). But you still have to go with your gut.
I wish you had showed what the cut ends of the logs looked like through the decayed area. If you had drilled, this would confirm (or not) your sound wood estimate.
Just cut a good sized, triple trunked dead hemlock in Suquamish, WA. It had been killed by bark beetles and had a bunch of nice round wood pecker holes in the largest trunk at 10 - 25 ft. --- not ragged pileated feeding holes. Climbed a nearby maple to limb it and take out small tops with a pole saw. Then was going to climb it and chunk it down while roped to the maple -- but changed my mind while still on the ground the next morning. Good thing -- it broke up as it fell and more when it hit the ground. I had decided it would be better to count on enough holding wood for the hinge so I could fell the 70 ft. stubs away from the house (leaning towards the house) instead of a potentially much worse scenario for me. Oh, and one of the trunks had collapsed when I cut off a dead branch tangled in the maple! I used an ax to sound the butt and cut into it a bit, and estimated that there was about 50% sound wood at the base, with most on the back-cut side and in the middle; worked out fine -- but I left a lot of holding wood and banged wedges for a while!
So if you see a lot of round nesting holes, that tree is likely on the mushy side, and more so up the tree than at the stump, especially if dead (a live one might have a pretty good outer rind of sound wood). And not safe to climb, even if tied into an adjacent tree.