Ken Johnston felling large Sequoia tree
Ken Johnston from the Strachur area in south Argyll through his daughter Kirsty has sent this photograph from his early days in forestry.
Ken who worked for Thomas W Dalgleish and Son of Stonehouse, Lanarkshire at the time is laying in the large Sequoia wellingtonia with what looks like a 6lb scotch wedge axe before felling with an eight foot Sandvik cross cut saw.
Ken comments ‘It was felled during a hard frost across a lawn that the Sheriff of Glasgow, owner of the house, did not want damaged. Little or no damage was done from felling and removal due to the frost.’
Note the proximity of the buildings behind the tree!
The attached PDF shows the tree successfully felled with Ken and his colleague tiding up the felled butt. Note how very low the stump has been kept ( a requisite in those days) and also the heavy maul for driving in the felling wedges to prevent the saw being jammed and also help with felling direction.