MA man killed by falling tree limb

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TreeChickee

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MA man killed by falling tree limb
C.F.
Acushnet (AP) -- A 44-year-old Acushnet man is dead after a tree limb he was trying to cut down collapsed on him during the winter storm that hit the state.

Police say the man and his neighbor on Apple Blossom Lane were trying to cut free a large tree limb that had snapped under Friday's heavy snow and winds.

The chain saw they were using got stuck, and as they were loosening it, the limb snapped and fell, instantly killing one of the men. Police say the rest of the tree then fell, bringing down power lines.

Police declined to release the name of the man who was killed, pending notification of kin.
 
storm damaged tree partially down are among the most dangerous....
huge forces could be involved... no time to be learning...
 
storm damaged tree partially down are among the most dangerous....
huge forces could be involved... no time to be learning...

Exactly. After the very large storm in the UK in 1988 (the one that caused Black Friday on the London stock exchange) a guy who had bought a chainsaw to cash in on the storm cut into a the trunk of a large tree that had fallen across the Fosse Way in Warwickshire. He made the cut just below the major branch attachments and was flicked across to the other side of the road into the front wall of a house.

Pretensioned wood to my mind is one of the most unpredictable forces we come across.
 
Exactly. After the very large storm in the UK in 1988 (the one that caused Black Friday on the London stock exchange) a guy who had bought a chainsaw to cash in on the storm cut into a the trunk of a large tree that had fallen across the Fosse Way in Warwickshire. He made the cut just below the major branch attachments and was flicked across to the other side of the road into the front wall of a house.

Pretensioned wood to my mind is one of the most unpredictable forces we come across.

Indeed. Fallen and/or damaged trees are what the company in Aberdeen I worked for specialised in. I was sent on various NPTC courses before I was allowed to do any cutting. Even after I was qualified my boss who has 35 years experience supervised my first 5-6 removals.
 
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Indeed. Fallen and/or damaged trees are what the company in Aberdeen I worked for specialised in. I was sent on various NPTC courses before I was allowed to do any cutting. Even after I was qualified my boss who has 35 years experience supervised my first 5-6 removals.

That's a good boss. I always used to wonder when I was much younger why I was never allowed to dissect wind blown trees (until I was finally let loose). I had a small two to three inch branch flick up from below the I was cutting and it knocked me clean off my feet. The branch was invisible until I had released a little pressure from above and it flew upward and outwards. From that moment on I was especially careful dealing with wind blown timber.

Just been through a large patch of wind blown work following hurricane Ike.
 
That's a good boss. I always used to wonder when I was much younger why I was never allowed to dissect wind blown trees (until I was finally let loose). I had a small two to three inch branch flick up from below the I was cutting and it knocked me clean off my feet. The branch was invisible until I had released a little pressure from above and it flew upward and outwards. From that moment on I was especially careful dealing with wind blown timber.

Just been through a large patch of wind blown work following hurricane Ike.

Aye he's a great bloke.

The worst I have had to do all the cutting on was a stand of Picea Sitchensis that had all fallen on each other, about 12 in total. Every one had lifted the root plate, so as I cut the stumps stood up. Scary s**t I can assure you.

Big Fagus Sylvaticus are dodgy too, very heavy. I'm always more aware of them rolling and splitting.
 
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Aye he's a great bloke.

The worst I have had to do all the cutting on was a stand of Picea Sitchensis that had all fallen on each other, about 12 in total. Every one had lifted the root plate, so as I cut the stumps stood up. Scary s**t I can assure you.

Big Fagus Sylvaticus are dodgy too, very heavy. I'm always more aware of them rolling and splitting.

I agree. You live in Boston full time now or are you working here?
 
I'm staying with friends in Plymouth Devon at the moment, here for Chimbo and New Year. My full visa has just been finalised, so I'm coming back to Boston in February.
 
I'm staying with friends in Plymouth Devon at the moment, here for Chimbo and New Year. My full visa has just been finalised, so I'm coming back to Boston in February.

10/4 ! Lucky you. I was only telling some one yesterday one of the things I miss most about the UK is Devon. There's a place called the Start Bay Inn a little further East along the coast from you (in Torcross). One of my old haunts. The Jumbo Haddock/ or Jumbo cod is to die for. Not to mention all the other seafood & ale. You ought to make a trip up the coast to it. It's got a big reputation. The closest I can get in Texas is fish fingers, and they serve ALL the ale cold! Man I'm truly jealous! Happy New Year!
 
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