No Injuries, but could have been bad!

[K.C.]

We had the opportunity to watch a "professional" arborist drop a couple of dead fir trees. This guy has years of experience. . . I missed the first drop, which was a small twig and came down no problem. The second was a more robust tree with a bit of a jog in the trunk. He cut his wedge then made his back cut. Tree didn't budge (he did not have any wedges). So he gets into the wedge again and starts cutting while his two "helpers" are leaning agianst the back. Now I'll be the first to admit I know nothing about felling but from what I have learned on this site (THANK YOU ALL!!!) I'm even thinking "Barber Chair". I called out to everyone to clear the area. The tree started to fall and caught some branches from another tree on its way down. The tree snapped in half mid-trunk, and the top half folded back over and dropped like a rock right onto the stump. Missed the cutter and his helper by mere inches.

 

[banshee67]

what kind of professional arborist doesnt have a few $3 plastic wedges ?
i couldnt imagine asking someone to "lean" on a tree to put pressure on it while i was cutting it, thats crazy