CLEARING THE CEOP 151 



If a tree is leaning backwards too far to be driven over 

 with wedges, a rope must be used to assist. This is tied 

 as high up as possible on the main stem, and on heavy trees 

 should be worked with pulley blocks fastened to some 

 other tree in front of the one to be felled. If there is no 

 tree near enough, a stout post should be sunk 3 to 5 feet 

 in the ground in a direction sloping away from the tree. 

 Hand winches, made fast in the ground, are sometimes 

 used to pull over big trees, but they are cumbersome tools, 

 and a rope with double or treble blocks is as powerful. 



When it is necessary to remove the roots of the trees, 

 this is more easily done before they are severed from the 

 butts. This operation is called grub felling, or pan 

 felling when it is done to break up ironpan in the soi* 

 to assist drainage or to allow the roots of succeeding 

 plantations to descend after moisture. 



A rope is fastened to the tree as in ordinary felling, 

 and the soil taken away from the roots, which are cut 

 through with a grubbing axe or sharp mattock. When 

 all side-roots have been cut, the tree is pulled over by 

 means of pulley blocks or winches, the descending roots 

 being pulled out, breaking up the pan for the benefit oj 

 the next crop. 



The root system is then cut away from the butt. 



After trees are trimmed out, the cordwood i.e., 

 branch wood below 6 inches in diameter for hardwoods 

 and 3 inches for conifers should be cut into lengths and 

 stacked in " cords." 



The contents of a " cord " of wood varies in different 

 parts of the country, but usually about 126 or 128 cubic 



