Scariest/Worst Tree Falling Experience?

[SLawyer Dave]

I know a lot of people on this board must have some great stories about how "bad" things can get when you are falling a tree.  I would love to hear some of them.  This idea was sparked today as I was trimming up a tree that my wife and I planted almost 15 years ago at my mother-in-laws.   My mother-in-law then started talking about "how scared she was", the day I cut down the original tree that had stood there, and I had to remind her, that she was no where as scared as I was.   

So there I was, sitting in my law office, trying to ignore the pounding rain and horrible wind storm that was going on outside, when I got a call from my at the time, "girl friend".  The call went something like this, "Oh my God, I'm at my parent's house for lunch, and the big tree in their back yard is split right down the middle, and the crack is getting bigger, and it looks like it is going to fall on their house". 

We had been dating for a few months at that point, and while our relationship was "serious", her knowledge of my wood craft was that I had a chain saw, and that I had partially supported myself through college with a firewood business. 

Me, being in a suit and tie; not having fallen a tree in at least a few years; and knowing that 60+ miles per hour winds and heavy rain had been forecast; gave her the best advice I could, "They need to call a tree company, because I would have no idea how to fall a tree that is split like that and in this kind of weather". 

Her response, "They can't afford it". 

Unfortunately, I knew this to be true.  Her father, a wonderful man, had been crippled in his early thirties due to a degenerative bone disease.  Her mother, worked part time as the "lunch lady" at the local school to help make ends meet.   The one time I took them out to dinner at a "nice" restaurant, (you know, try to impress the girl's parents type dinner), they at first would only order the cheapest items on the menu, (as they were shocked at the prices).

At the time, I was in my first year of practice, having opened my own office straight out of law school, and I had a lot more time than money myself.  So against my better judgment, but at least to appease her, I agreed that I would "take a look at it".  So I drove to my house, changed my clothes, grabbed my saw, (dusted the cobwebs off of it), and headed over.

So there I was, in the pounding rain, in the middle of one of the worst wind storms to hit our area in a decade, looking up at a 70' Chinese Elm, that had 3 main branches that all split off the main trunk about 20' up.  Yep, not only was there a 6' crack that was going down the tree from the main crotch, there were 3 of them.  Each main branch, had basically split from the trunk, and the tree and trunk were moving in 3 different directions.  You could almost watch the cracks lengthen as the independent movement of each section was ripping the tree apart in the high wind.  One of those main branches was right over their Kitchen. 

I told my girlfriend, "I can't do this, there is no way I can guarantee I won't damage their house."  Her reply, "Its ok, they have insurance".  (Cue in my thoughts of what the insurance company would do to me if I felled the tree on the house).  But what can you do, I was young, in love, and her Dad told me that he knew I would do the best I could, (and that he appreciated any help I could give them). 

So I get out the ladder and start taking off all the weight I can from the house side of the tree, hoping that might counter-act the wind a bit and help pull the tree away from the house.  Then I start my wedge cut, planning to use it and the now weightier limbs facing away from the house, as a lever to pull the overhanging branches away.  As I closely examine the wedge, and my angle for the back cut, I realize that the cracks are now almost down to where I planned to put my back cut.  I realize that if I fall the tree, the back side limb, (the one over the kitchen), is likely going to split from the tree and fall on the house, (rather than be pulled up and away from the house.

Having never faced, nor even ever contemplated such a situation, I have no explanation for where the inspiration came from, but suddenly I knew I had to try and tie the trunk together, to keep that one section from splitting away.  Luckily, my future father-in-law, was a pack rat.  He never threw anything away, and he was able to find a 3' section of chain from an old swing set and a bolt to tie the ends together.  So having tightened the chain as much as I could from atop the ladder, (please note the wedge was already cut at this point and I was half on the ladder and half off thinking that the whole tree could split and topple at any second), I went ahead and made by back cut.  Amazingly, the tree did fall exactly where I wanted it to.  The chain did manage to keep the one limb from splitting off and pulled it up and over to fall away from the house. 

I hope to never need to attempt such a feat again, I'm not sure my heart could take the stress.     

[ND rancher]

Oh the things we men do for love!!! Great story, to bad I have nothing to share.

[James Arsenault]

30 some-odd years in the woods, more than a few times things got hairy, usually because of inattention or, occasionally, outright stupidity (hehe).

That being said, 2 years ago, a tree finally got me good. Stupidity on my part. It took me in the back and left leg, no lasting damage to my back, but it busted up my lower leg/ankle. I felt, and heard, the bones break.

Taking down what could be considered extremely dangerous trees is a matter of course in logging. Equipment and knowledge make it routine. The tree that got me wasn't one of those. Nope, I turned my back on a small hemlock cut, but still standing, that had been part of a double that didn't fall together as expected, and I knew the hinge left on the standing tree was shaky. My mind wasn't in the game. My father's house had burned beyond salvage a week before, it was my first day back after that event, and my mind was on what further needed to be done for Dad. Then, when things went bad, I zigged when I should have zagged. Stupid.

[craigc]

I went down into a small revine to cut a Red Oak.  It had a slight lean to it.  In front of it was a 10" approx Hard Maple that had a fork that grow around the oak.  Went to cut the maple and it kept pinching my saw.  Looked at it again and could not figure why it was pinching.  Went back to cutting it, when I finally got it cut it started falling.  Looked back and the red oak was uprooting and coming with it.  Jumped up as high as I could on the side of the revine and watched the red oak come down beside me. Never will forget that.

[mesquite buckeye]

Cutting a mesquite on a hillside. Heard some funny creaking, popping, like timber taking weight. Got out of there. Turns out the adjacent tree was half broken on top and sitting on top of the tree I just cut. Whole thing flipped over right where I was cutting.

[DaleK]

Both of my close calls have been with small trees, one with a crab apple, one with a wild fruiting cherry tree. They both fell "around" me.

[thenorthman]

150' doug fir, next to a house with just a slight back lean, power lines to my left and crossing at a diagonal to where I intended to put it, fell 5-6 trees that day and bucked em into fire wood lengths, fighting Ivy all day and sticker bushes, so I'm getting tired but this is the last tree to fall, and possibly the easiest one.  Face er up start my back cut pound in two wedges, every thing is going fine...

Until it starts to go over, and I notice that its pulling just a smidge to the left,  right for the neighbors power pole who's standing on his porch watching everthing...  My luck held and it just scraped the top on the pole and squirshed some fence...

Since that day I don't question em if its not leaning hard where I want it and its next to a house power line etc.  it gets a line in it.  And if I am dog tired and want to go home, falling is done for the day.  falling in a unit or clear cut is not a big deal falling next to a house and power lines can get your blood flowing

[SLawyer Dave]

  falling in a unit or clear cut is not a big deal falling next to a house and power lines can get your blood flowing

Amen to that brother.

[SLawyer Dave]

That being said, 2 years ago, a tree finally got me good. Stupidity on my part. It took me in the back and left leg, no lasting damage to my back, but it busted up my lower leg/ankle. I felt, and heard, the bones break.

My father's house had burned beyond salvage a week before, it was my first day back after that event, and my mind was on what further needed to be done for Dad. Then, when things went bad, I zigged when I should have zagged. Stupid.

Man, sorry to hear about that.  I hope you and your dad (financially), had a complete recovery.  Sounds like one tragedy caused another.   

[m wood]

two spruces faced and ready to drop in the only clearing around.  apperead to want to go in that direction.  back cut and wedged on the front tree and no way. backwards lean pinched saw, too much to redirect.  roped on and move the JD around behind a different tree trunk and tried to lean it back.  first tree went good but branches held in the second tree and it moved right around that third tree and slo motioned right for me ane the tractor I jumped over that still chugging 38" tire and looked back to see the seat take a direct hit.  stupid stupid stupid.  uh huh human error.

[timberlinetree]

During the winter we where working on very steep terrain on the side of a mountain. I had a nice 24inch oak that when felling, the top got stuck in another top. I proceeded to cut through the notch so the tree top would roll off the other one and land where I wanted it to. The tree started rolling, popped off the stump, and HOLY TOBAGON! It only a second for this 60 foot tree to slide down the hill like a missile. Luckily there was a tree to block most of the small branches from hitting me. Talk about another bummer - I was skidding down steep terrain during the winter. I was moving right along with cold temps and hard snow. Things started warming up and the snow started getting greasy. Even with chains on all four tires of the skidder, I slid off the skid trail and the machine was pinned leaning downhill against a 30 inch oak, which was leaning uphill over the skidder. Ropes, come-a-long, and felling the tree while being under the skidder was no fun and held up production for have the day, but the skidder and I didn't get squished :) I'm sure there's a few more if I really thought about it! Work safe :)

[Quebecnewf]

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GGhfWrqLbEo&desktop_uri=/watch?v=GGhfWrqLbEo&feature=player_embedded

Here,s mine. I'm the guy in the white who cut the tree.

Quebecnewf

[thenorthman]

How the Hel did that even happen?... one more reason I get nervous when there are cameras present... stupid trees have to show off

[clww]

Worst I have had was topping out a smaller oak in a customers back yard. Long story short, the second half of the "Y" that I was cutting on the tree had a rotten spot three feet below my cut. This blew out when it was starting to go over, and kicked back into me. End result was a cracked sternum, four broken ribs, broken fingers, and several stitches. Worst part was the visit to the ER on our first wedding anniversary.

[mikeb1079]

quebec newf that could've sent you for a high flying ride.     glad it missed.

[Corley5]

Way back in December of 1988 I had an incident.  I cut a fairly large maple and missed the 5" diameter dead elm whose top was somehow connected to the maple.  The maple began to fall, I turned my back and began to run and WHAM I was laying on the ground and crawling to a stump to pull myself up.  The impact pushed the suspension of my hardhat over my years and when it sprung back it tore my ear lobe partially off.  That required 13 or 15 stitches to reattach.  I don't remember the exact # anymore.  The impact also separated my shoulder and sprained my ankle.  The best part was it fractured the seventh vertebrae in my neck.  I had to wear a neck brace for a while.  To say I was extremely lucky is an understatement.  Ever since that day I've never turned my back on a falling tree and look up all the time, before cutting, while cutting and when it's falling.  That event ruined me for falling for a long time.  I did it for a while that spring after I healed up but found something else to do and didn't go back to the woods for several years.  Woods work is addictive though.  It's hard to leave.   

[SwampDonkey]

I know one thing, I wouldn't be hand falling in these nasty widow makers.



This is a little too old for aspen, in fact over mature, and all them dead upswept limbs and who knows how wobbly the top is with those conks sprouting out of old broke off limbs. It's about 32 inches at dbh and almost 80 feet tall.

These were remnant trees left along the properly line from a 1984 harvest. Most of them fell down since the photo was shot not too many years ago.

[1270d]

I dropped a nice white birch into a hung maple.  Misjudged the distance and the birch high centered and slid back down the hung tree trunk.  It flattened me, breaking my hardhat, partially crushing my saw.  I was pinned underneath for a few minutes.  The only thing that saved my life was a shallow depression In the ground and the tree partially on my saw.    Be safe, I wasn't .

[MEloggah]

the only one that stands out in my mind was I was cutting a lot and had a fairly new kid (my age) driving skidder. he isn't green to the machine either, and I was sawin up a big pine and was gonna have him tip it with the arch cuz it was on the line and he was backin in without me knowing it and bumped a rotten poplar with the right rear fender enough to shake the tree and broke off the top. about 8' long and 10" around come crashin down from about 65 feet and landed just past my right shoulder. I was angry at first but then chalked it up to a big lucky mistake on his part. he knew not to back in until he got the signal. im pretty sure it would have broke my neck or worse. missed by about 2 feet. that's why I work alone!!

[petefrom bearswamp]

got smacked by a hanger due to carelessness in 1995 while cutting TSI.
Cracked my hard hat tearing the right ear muff off , glanced off of my right shoulder and drove my left leg into the ground rupturing the ACL.
Also knocked me silly.
I was only about 3/4 mile from my house and had my cell phone.
Called my wife who came and got me and took me to the ER.
ER doc mis diagnosed the ruptured ACL and I didn't get it looked at further until I kept having it collapse and let me to the ground. Had it repaired and now 18 years later it is starting to give me trouble. maybe time for a knee replacement to go with my fake hip on that side
I have had 3 other close calls also back in the 70's, hit on the head twice and nicked my knee with only 4 stitches,