I had intended to write about my experience as a child of the death of a tree topper on the neighbor’s towering Douglas Fir. We lived surrounded by these giants and, for reasons unknown to me then or now, people regularly brought in men to cut off the tops. There was no equipment, just one man with a chain saw and spiked boots. It looked dangerous and it was. When the neighbor was taking down his tree last week I reassured myself that this time it was a safe operation.
This morning I read the above article in my childhood newspaper. It reported: “They put up a bunch of pulleys and they had an excavator out there to keep the tree from smashing on the ground so that they could save all the branches,” said friend Abby Zumwalt, “I mean, everything was set up as it should be, and it was just kind of a freak accident that the tree like started twisting and just came at her.” The woman survived but with massive injuries to her leg.
It will come as no surprise that the most dangerous job in the United States is log working. I was right to be nervous last week.
Saved By Words 
When we have our Oak trees trimmed every five years, it is compulsory to get a professional team in, one verified and approved by our local council’s tree officer. (There are so many Oak trees around here they actually have a full-time tree officer and he has an assistant too) The tree surgeons have to have insurance; for third parties, their own staff, and our house if damaged. Dangerous work indeed, for all concerned.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I think you have much better oversight than we do. One time I hired a man to take a large branch(after telling Charlie he couldn’t stand on the neighbor’s shed to reach it!) The man shinnied up the tree, sawed the branch and then only would take cash. No oversight I imagine.
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We have men like that one. They often knock on the door uninvited and offer to trim the trees for cash. But as our main roof is directly under one of the trees, I would never want to chance not using fully-insured professionals.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, indeed
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I suppose that the danger involved is why we all stop to watch when tree surgeons are at work!
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Oh dear. Here I was congratulating myself for my compassion. You are right.
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When we were chainsawing the trees on the farm, after a very wild storm that brought 52 trees down on our 800acres my late husband warned me to stay extremely alert because even downed trees are unpredictable in their kickback. Even to the most experienced.
It all has to do with the grain in how it has grown & where the torsion is in that grain when it’s released as to how it will move (we can it kickback) Elizabeth (my present hubby tells me who is a retired Carpenter & Joiner). Which sounds like what’s happened in the twisting of the tree in the article.
Blessings, Jennifer
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That is a very helpful piece of information. It makes sense that it is unpredictable no matter the caution.
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Scary. We once had a man come in to chop off some of the left side branches of the tree that were too close our window during COVID. Squirrels and birds were frequently visiting us. When a snake used it as a prop to get inside, we asked this guy to chop off the particular branches. He came only with an axe and no other paraphernalia. Considering we had known him personally for long, we were worried. We had to keep our daughter out of ear shot so she wouldn’t distract him with incessant questions from our second storey window.
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I bet he fascinated your daughter!
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That he did. 😊
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Very scary!
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True!
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I am always nervous when we have either tree fellers or roof people doing work.
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