Had a friend of my fathers killed when he cut through a tree hanging over a cut bank. When he cut through, the tree sprung up and got him in the head. Perhaps a wedge could have have prevented injury. Being able to predict the tree's movement is critical.
Yes, the work in the forest is very dangerous. On youtube is the video with young woman, who took over the firm of his father, who was killed by the forest work, so he had to be an expierenced feller.
This is why you never ever have kids or dogs around when working on trees, when the soil lifts up like that it's a magnet for kids to look at and climb on
I counted 3 dangerous scenarios, all of them included not releasing the pressure on the tree, i understand if you are not familiar with the trade, a 2 pounds branch is enough to either kill you or brake a teeth or 2 ✌️
When the root ball stands up it can take the saw with it, where it ends up is anybody's guess. From experience I can tell you that you're not going to over power the tree and wrestle the saw into a safe position as it's being lifted. I've still got all my appendages and count myself blessed.
Some time ago I saw a vid in which the man stood somewhere on the trunk ( rootball-side) and cutting it . The moment he cuts that trunk that lad was catapulted in the air , broke his arm coming down .
@@andrecostermans7109 , was working on a golf course, they hired outside to come in and clean up several up rooted trees. These guys didn't have the training and seen a guy almost flung! He jumped off just moments before.
No, no, no! Had a sycamore blow down in a storm once - 20 years ago. Was standing on a stream bank and fell into a meadow. I cut the limbs out first, like you said but then the root ball and the whole trunk sprung back to vertical! Missed my head by about two feet. Dumbest thing I ever did.
@@bobanderson6656 Im glad you are ok. There are always exceptions. One must then rely on ones experience and judgment. That said, I know fellow loggers who have been injured or killed cutting trees.
A fallen tree is just a big spring-loaded trap. When cut, that tension goes all of a sudden. It can kill. I knew a widow who's husband died in this way.
@@G503-e8p Yessir. I came really close to getting my head knocked off when I cut a 50-foot stalk of bamboo in my back yard. It had collapsed under its own weight and was resting on the roof of my back porch with the stalk still rooted in the ground and bent at a 90-degree angle, at about chest height. Stupid, inexperienced me took a pruning saw and cut through the stalk just below the bend and -- of course -- when I finished, the cut end shot straight up right past my face and stopped at the same height as the porch roof. If I'd been leaning forward it easily could have broken bones or worse. Never made that mistake again.
@@TheDennys21 I think it is true, it took them three weeks to dig their way out but they all made it. They ate worms and sucked water out of the roots to survive.
When I engage a downed tree I always try to reduce SAFE WEIGHT First. I start at the top and work my way to the bottom. Removing big limbs and branches reduces the weight of the tree. If your 1st cut is at the stump sometimes its not the best plan. The tree cant roll on you if its cut up at your feet from the top..
@@MattWag56 very true. But I like to reduce weight. Ill get all the easy stuff off first with Low risk of spring poles or the tree rolling. I dont touch the limbs holding the tree only the stuff I know is dead weight. then work my way from the top to the bottom. I just think thats the best way and safest way.
@@LiveFreeOrRIP Like I mentioned above: Years ago, I tried that with a sycamore. Once the weight of the limbs were cut from the tree, the root ball AND the trunk flipped back to vertical! I was stupid and lucky.
@@bobanderson6656you cut top to bottom but always leave enough tree to counter for the weight/tension of the root ball before releasing it. This is how it’s done without heavy equipment but it’s best left to a professional
Inexperienced sawyer, been hand cutting hurricane clean up for a few years now you dont cut one cut straight down you start one one side and finish on the other depending on if it wants to fall, stand back up or stay in place. The bigger worry is what side of the tree to stand on if it springs left or right if straight up then lean back. The bow in the tree will tell you which way it wants to kick when cut free and if its laying straight chances are it'll just drop to the ground on average.
Years ago I was cutting a tree that was about 8 inches in diameter which had tension on it. Something told me I should get on the opposite side of it, and when it was cut through it sprang violently toward where I had been standing.
Wow! I could see some kids playing around that hole while cutting. I like the way they didn't cut all the way thru and let it just snap when he lifted. Big trees are dangerous and unpredictable.
I watched the video repeatedly and I could not see those kids, Do you suppose they edited them out after you said something? That's really strange, Art from Ohio
I've heard of widow makers (a partially fallen tree), and the danger of driving under large overhanging branches during or after a tropical storm, hurricane or on a windy day, but I never realized how dangerous a fallen tree was because of the rootball system. Once you realize, it's like "duh." Thank you, seriously, for this educational share.
@jdmarr2259 My cousin is an ER nurse, and the her and her colleagues use the term 'widow maker' when a spouse dies young/prematurely from a heart attack or stroke. It's a slang medical term used by professionals that doesn't really have anything to do with trees.
@hyena131 A widowmaker is specifically a detached or broken limb or tree top that is still suspended in the tree canopy, often wedged in a crotch, trapped under tension in other limbs, or balanced on another branch. These can fall or release tension, posing a lethal threat to anyone nearby...
I cut a blown down poplar last year that, while I knew the rootball was going to come back up, I was shocked at how quickly and with how much force it snapped back up as soon as I completed the cut. I was using a long bar and standing as far back as I could but next time, I'll definitely be even more careful. 😊
I know a logger that got mouse trapped by one. I figured it was going to snap at the end of the cut and launch the saw into his face. He was obviously aware of the danger of this situation.
My forestry professor back in the late '60s at U. Mass. had a big scar on his forehead for exactly this reason. It probably happened before there were safety kick back mechanisms on saws- but even with them, kick back is probably the most dangerous thing about a chain saw. You have to prepare just in case.
Thanks to Hurricane Helene, I lost practically all of my mature oak & hickory trees on my one acre. The hickories snapped above ground, as if they were struck by artillery fire, but the oaks rolled over with the roots bringing up a bunch of dirt & small rocks. I'm going to try to knock as much dirt off of the roots as reasonably possible before I cut the trunk free. I'm strongly considering buying a sawmill in order to salvage the timber that I have spent many years caring for.
Im gonna remember that leverage trick for later use Great idea right there I did worrie a lil when you were cutting so close to the root mass I usually reduce it down to just the trunk and piece by piece until it stands back up
I do the same. My usual procedure is the slice and dice from the top down. I cut firewood. The little stuff gets cut into 16 to 20 feet if I have a chipper,,, or 4 feet if I do anything else. However, from the fireplace size 3 to 4 inch minimum, it all gets reduced for the customer's choice. 12 and 14 inches for wood stoves,, 16 to 24 for fireplaces. I work from the top down. When the balance is finally on the stump side it stands right up. No pinch, and normally I am 8 to 16 feet away from the stump when gravity takes over.
Tragedy how ever I blame anyone that young for a very dangerous mistake I blame the pop but again very tragic very freak accident type thing I'm sure the pop already feels like shit so what is done is done move on but dayum could of Been prevented FCK U hear the story in FL the dad ran over his young daughter maybe like 6yo at the time this was like 10 yrs ago with rider mower her name is Ireland she lost both her feet but boy she is awesome I met her she lived in my neighborhood than I moved a couple miles away but she would be at the community pool at the clubhouse and she is so bright and playful and smiling. I honestly teared up when I was in the pool and she was hanging at the like clubhouse patio with other kids everyone was being her friend and wanting to be nice to her ya know cuz it's like what a very traumatic thing getting blades to cut your feet off there must of been sooo much blood hopefully she passed out idk the details I didn't know their family but it was in the paper and the news if that was me I would be a sad bitter hateful person but she was a trooper and a kind soul. Than there was another story a dad ran over completely ran over his son and the blades fked him pretty good but he survived man and the docs said this and that about healing like no movement in ur arms again bro he called on Jesus and believed for healing supernaturally and I cried during that UA-cam he could move his arms play sports even and he has some jacked up scars yes but the docs were like how the heck? Idk I think his nerves and muscles and stuff got really injured they didn't think he would recover Anyway there is life and death in our days here on the earth everyday just know God has our time when we die written in His books man alrea written God is with us always man Gtg start my day May God bless you Tampa FL Daniel
I’m glade I run across this video…. I have a tree just about this size with a huge rout ball, I’ve been cutting branches and filling the hole. I don’t have a tractor big enough to handle the load, but slipping that wedge limb under the tree could be a life saver if I hang up my saw.
Great - I’m too ignorant on all of this to just cut a few trees on our property for firewood. How do you learn the basics (and I know this isn’t “basic”) to not die?
@@katiejon17 Start with a small saw and work your way up over a few year's time. Watch "how too" videos frequently. If a saw ever "looks" too big for you then it probably is. A saw with an 18" to 20" bar will do everything that YOU need it to do. Remember, a 20" bar will cut a 3' tree trunk because you are going to ring the tree trunk all the way around. An 18" bar will get pretty close. For your mainline saw always pay more money and get the professional series saw. They hold up better and turn more rpms when deep in the tree trunk. Aim for a 60cc saw (mine is 59cc). Finally, get yourself a basic-level pruning saw with a 14" bar. For jobs too small for your mainline saw your pruning saw will get the rest. At 13 lbs your mainline saw is just gonna be too heavy to run around the property and cut every little sapling and branch that comes along. It will wear you out, and then it becomes somewhat dangerous as it starts to feel heavy and unwieldy. Older professionals cutting all day tend to go with 18" bars in order to lighten up the weight and increase safety. Get a carrying case for your saw. Only run 95 octane pre-mix in your saw--it can stay put-away for months and still crank on the first pull.
So many things could happen here.... the tree could have popped up on its own, hitting the man with the saw..... but, the root ball looks fairly safe and beautiful.... until it falls back in place! Wood is shockingly heavy. Thanks for sharing!
There is a very sad video on UA-cam of a guy who's father was killed removing a tree on a hill. He was using a bulldozer to uproot the stump. For some reason he got off the bulldozer to do something.....and ended up at the bottom of the hill.....killed by the stump. They don't know exactly what happened. I once read that trees or branches kill more people than lightning. Lightning kills 20. Trees kill 100. That's five times as many as lightning.
Yeah take a shovel and fill in the dirt behind the stump. Also prop the stup with a chunk of log. Keep it from falling back in. To make it easier to remove the stump afterwards. No digging it out of the hole.
there was a news article in germany of kindergarten kids playing outdoors on or between tree trunks. one tree trunk started moving and a kid was fatally injured. the nanny was then indicted with negligence leading to death.
I had an oak down like this from hurricane Milton and I made the cut like this gentleman, then I just finished from below. The key is just be gentle, don't get the saw anywhere it can get pinched, and have patience. It's not a race to the finish.
It depends on the situation. Storm work is a very dynamic environment and even the most skilled can be caught off gaurd. Then tragedy, it only takes one misjudged cut. R.I.P. Jed.
I knew a guy that had a huge oak like that, he cut from one side walked around the root of the tree and it snapped when he got behind it and buried him. A little bit of his hair was sticking out from under the dirt. That’s how they found him. I’ve been cutting storm damage trees and they are quite unpredictable. I will park my skid steer next to them so if they snap towards me it hits that instead of me. Lot easier to fix that than me.
i watched my uncle get lifted off the ground when a rootball like this stood up and the chainsaw was left pinched in the tree 15 ft off the ground. Surprised his shoulder wasn’t dislocated. Im sure it hurt.. This was during hurricane Katrina cleanup.
On January 9th, 2024, it was very windy and rainy. It was so windy that the big pine tree in my backyard was uprooted. The tree people are coming tomorrow. The tree was very big and tall. It's now lying over the fence. It hit both my garage and the neighbors' garage.
The danger of standing under/near the root ball should be obvious. However, had he cut all the way through, it seems the same thing could've happened and kicked the saw up as well? So is the lesson here that you go to the underside to finish the cut? Assuming one doesn't have the big machine to help.
Not obvious to Greenhorns. They can think the sheer weight of it would do the opposite and keep it from doing anything else. They don't think of it being under all that pressure just waiting to be sprung loose.
I was cutting up large oak that was pushed down then back into woods 2 years before I got to it and it still had enough spring release to fly up break a lot of my bones
I have several snaggles of uprooted trees on my property and it is slow work indeed. I don't have a choice but to try this at home. I have two huge birch trees leaning on a giant fir and all three are leaning toward the road. Don't try THIS at home, kids.
Had something like this happen to me before, finished my cut and put my saw down on the ball end of the tree... went to get a sip of water, it took a minute or so to happen, but when the root ball slammed back it launched my saw about 15 feet into the air. Thankfully the only causualty that day was the saw🤫
I cut big oak fell across road on 2 fences blowover like that with big branches echo timbersaw 5 HP, those will roll if the limbs holding it up ain't cut
I had a teacher in high-school who use to be a lumber jack and he could tell you some death stories. I have two off hand. One where his buddy was doing this same thing standing to close trunk snapped with a sharp point and gutted him open like fish insides everywhere on the ground, and another where a dad was teaching his son the ropes for his first day only for a big tree to fall on his son do to a bad call and the branches had impaled the son threw out his body killed instantly right in front of his father. Cutting trees are no joke including putting out forest fires. Think before you act.
Best way is to cut an open notch on the underside and finish by cutting down from the top, as if you are "felling" the tree towards the ground. It will lift up and then break, the log will fall back down (so cut it close to the base to prevent the log going over you). And the stump will fall back in the hole. 75% of the time. Sometimes it will just stay there though and you will have a hazard until the root ball is ground or chopped up and the dirt is washed back into the hole.
Yes sir it happens just like that. Watch that your dog isn't sniffing in that root hole while you cut the trunk loose. God be with anyone running a chain saw. Trees are evil.
A local man was cutting a blow down and his 2 grandchildren were playing under the root ball. Tragically both were killed when it sprung back trapping them under it.
That's sad..negligence on the grandparents though due to the highly hazardous situation. When cutting felled trees, only trained people should be present.
I see the guy wearing leg chaps. Excellent! I'm a forester and often visit loggers on the job- everyone's leg chaps have cuts in them. Anyone not wearing them using a saw is making a big mistake. The first ones I owned in the '70s were made of steel belts like on a tire! And were very heavy. Now they're almost weightless.
@@georgeharsin6292 I had a forestry professor who had a scar running down the side of his face. In his first class of the semester he talked about it- how he got that when young, cutting with a chainsaw and not wearing a helmet and the saw kick backed. I'm glad I got that talk so I've always worn a helmet when using a saw.
I lost a female cousin 2 years ago to a falling tree. Her husband cut the tree and it didn't fall. Told my 28 year old female cousin to get on the 4 wheeler and push the tree. It came down on her and killed her instantly. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Just following her husbands instructions.
I cut a tree like this only much farther from the base, I thought if I calculated it right I could ring it from there, it sprang back up and I had to cut the tree down 🤪
Imagine being up 35- 40 ft. and you make a cut and it stands back up with you in it. Happened to me in 2005 during Hurricane Wilma clean up. Awesome tush.
When I was a kid there was a old tree like this, me and my friends turned it into a dugout clubhouse. one day after school I went over to it only to discover a rotten stump on top of our stash of army men stolen cigarettes and porn mags, they were never to be seen again.
@@MattWag56 So what do you do when your chain is dull? Or when you need to add gas or bar oil lol? What about changing the bar? Or cleaning air filter? Just toss the saw? This is all a part of using and operating a chain saw. Your saw would run so much cooler and harder and LONGER, not to mention start WAY easier. Just loosen up the “L” screw about 1/3 a turn counter clock wise, this is a good guess and should help a lot. That wining idle you hear after a hard cut and that increasing RPM is due to the low speed starving the engine of fuel.
But- if that log is going to be used by a sawmill- it would have been better to cut it lower. If possible- maybe he thought it was too dangerous. Not worth getting hurt for a few more dollars.
I don't get it. There was seemingly no tension on the tree besides the obvious upward tension on the rootball. How can that kill you?!? It's when they are under sideways tension and hit you like a giant baseball bat that they are dangerous! Or when the root ball can fall towards the tree and crush the feller, that's real bad news!
Had a friend of my fathers killed when he cut through a tree hanging over a cut bank. When he cut through, the tree sprung up and got him in the head. Perhaps a wedge could have have prevented injury. Being able to predict the tree's movement is critical.
Exactly, and no two trees are the same.
I’ve seen trees kick back all different ways.
Yes, the work in the forest is very dangerous. On youtube is the video with young woman, who took over the firm of his father, who was killed by the forest work, so he had to be an expierenced feller.
Springpole. There are methods to cut those safely.
Kinetic energy is hidden pressure from binding..
This is why you never ever have kids or dogs around when working on trees, when the soil lifts up like that it's a magnet for kids to look at and climb on
A dog will make a bee line for that root ball hole…
Absolutely correct here! Plus I know lots of adults who are fascinated by this as well.
True
Dangerous if you stand under the rootball, maybe?
I counted 3 dangerous scenarios, all of them included not releasing the pressure on the tree, i understand if you are not familiar with the trade, a 2 pounds branch is enough to either kill you or brake a teeth or 2 ✌️
When the root ball stands up it can take the saw with it, where it ends up is anybody's guess. From experience I can tell you that you're not going to over power the tree and wrestle the saw into a safe position as it's being lifted. I've still got all my appendages and count myself blessed.
Some time ago I saw a vid in which the man stood somewhere on the trunk ( rootball-side) and cutting it . The moment he cuts that trunk that lad was catapulted in the air , broke his arm coming down .
@@andrecostermans7109 , was working on a golf course, they hired outside to come in and clean up several up rooted trees. These guys didn't have the training and seen a guy almost flung! He jumped off just moments before.
When cutting t hff at amount of mass off, those root balls can roll! They don't always flop back into the hole.
Cut the limbs off first, then cut from the 'top' down to the roots. No problems, the mass and tension will be reduces gradually.
No, no, no! Had a sycamore blow down in a storm once - 20 years ago. Was standing on a stream bank and fell into a meadow. I cut the limbs out first, like you said but then the root ball and the whole trunk sprung back to vertical! Missed my head by about two feet. Dumbest thing I ever did.
@@bobanderson6656 Im glad you are ok. There are always exceptions. One must then rely on ones experience and judgment. That said, I know fellow loggers who have been injured or killed cutting trees.
My neighbour is a forester with FLS in Scotland and he says the first thing to do is get the root plate separated from the trunk at the base.
@@ArdGeal. And I bet he also says wear full PPE!
A fallen tree is just a big spring-loaded trap. When cut, that tension goes all of a sudden.
It can kill. I knew a widow who's husband died in this way.
So true and not always obvious if inexperienced
@@G503-e8p Yessir. I came really close to getting my head knocked off when I cut a 50-foot stalk of bamboo in my back yard.
It had collapsed under its own weight and was resting on the roof of my back porch with the stalk still rooted in the ground and bent at a 90-degree angle, at about chest height.
Stupid, inexperienced me took a pruning saw and cut through the stalk just below the bend and -- of course -- when I finished, the cut end shot straight up right past my face and stopped at the same height as the porch roof. If I'd been leaning forward it easily could have broken bones or worse. Never made that mistake again.
Same with cutting big rebar that's bent over.
@@LucidDreamer54321 her husband died.
@@LucidDreamer54321 Had a husband.
I lived in Maine and there were instances of kids climbing under the root ball just before it snapped back. Very sad and preventable.
Sarcasm or did that really happen?
@@TheDennys21 I think it is true, it took them three weeks to dig their way out but they all made it. They ate worms and sucked water out of the roots to survive.
@@artszabo1015 good Maine stock. i test my kids the same way. the good ones dig upward, the bad ones dig downward.
i remember this one very sad kids grandfarther was cutting the tree when it happend was years ago
@@TheDennys21 oldest wives tale in the book.
Had a large one yesterday very similar. You definitely made me think how to approach them in the future.
Great to hear!
When I engage a downed tree I always try to reduce SAFE WEIGHT First. I start at the top and work my way to the bottom. Removing big limbs and branches reduces the weight of the tree. If your 1st cut is at the stump sometimes its not the best plan. The tree cant roll on you if its cut up at your feet from the top..
But have you ever cut a tree like this on the side of a hill? Every tree is different
@@MattWag56 very true. But I like to reduce weight. Ill get all the easy stuff off first with Low risk of spring poles or the tree rolling. I dont touch the limbs holding the tree only the stuff I know is dead weight. then work my way from the top to the bottom. I just think thats the best way and safest way.
@@LiveFreeOrRIP Like I mentioned above: Years ago, I tried that with a sycamore. Once the weight of the limbs were cut from the tree, the root ball AND the trunk flipped back to vertical! I was stupid and lucky.
@@bobanderson6656you cut top to bottom but always leave enough tree to counter for the weight/tension of the root ball before releasing it. This is how it’s done without heavy equipment but it’s best left to a professional
Inexperienced sawyer, been hand cutting hurricane clean up for a few years now you dont cut one cut straight down you start one one side and finish on the other depending on if it wants to fall, stand back up or stay in place. The bigger worry is what side of the tree to stand on if it springs left or right if straight up then lean back. The bow in the tree will tell you which way it wants to kick when cut free and if its laying straight chances are it'll just drop to the ground on average.
Years ago I was cutting a tree that was about 8 inches in diameter which had tension on it. Something told me I should get on the opposite side of it, and when it was cut through it sprang violently toward where I had been standing.
Scary
@@duckshaker springpole. You have to peel away layers from underneath with those.
My Dad was a seasoned timber cutter and a tree got him when I was 14. It doesn't take much for it to be fatal.
Sorry to hear that
Sorry to hear this news. Thx for sharing. 🙏🏼
Wow! I could see some kids playing around that hole while cutting. I like the way they didn't cut all the way thru and let it just snap when he lifted. Big trees are dangerous and unpredictable.
Exactly
I watched the video repeatedly and I could not see those kids, Do you suppose they edited them out after you said something? That's really strange,
Art from Ohio
they can be loaded up like a giant spring and sometimes you can't see it, pleez be careful.
Facts
I've heard of widow makers (a partially fallen tree), and the danger of driving under large overhanging branches during or after a tropical storm, hurricane or on a windy day, but I never realized how dangerous a fallen tree was because of the rootball system.
Once you realize, it's like "duh."
Thank you, seriously, for this educational share.
You’re very welcome!
@jdmarr2259
My cousin is an ER nurse, and the her and her colleagues use the term 'widow maker' when a spouse dies young/prematurely from a heart attack or stroke. It's a slang medical term used by professionals that doesn't really have anything to do with trees.
@@hyena131 what makes you say that?
@hyena131 A widowmaker is specifically a detached or broken limb or tree top that is still suspended in the tree canopy, often wedged in a crotch, trapped under tension in other limbs, or balanced on another branch. These can fall or release tension, posing a lethal threat to anyone nearby...
@@aaronjennings8385
"often wedged in a crotch." Do tell more...
And thanks 4 stalking me on another comment thread, my very own little eel...:)
Never let your kids play around the root ball when you are cutting- very very dangerous situation
Never let anybody around while your cutting would be a much wise advise.
Ok
I cut a blown down poplar last year that, while I knew the rootball was going to come back up, I was shocked at how quickly and with how much force it snapped back up as soon as I completed the cut. I was using a long bar and standing as far back as I could but next time, I'll definitely be even more careful. 😊
Mousetrap
Too many smart people in the comments section. You all should make your own video
Go ahead! Where can I watch yours, big guy?😊
I don't see any videos on your channel.
You should make your own video, you hypocrite.
@@ErickvdK LOL beat me to it.
I know a logger that got mouse trapped by one. I figured it was going to snap at the end of the cut and launch the saw into his face. He was obviously aware of the danger of this situation.
My forestry professor back in the late '60s at U. Mass. had a big scar on his forehead for exactly this reason. It probably happened before there were safety kick back mechanisms on saws- but even with them, kick back is probably the most dangerous thing about a chain saw. You have to prepare just in case.
@@JoeZorzin Kick back device saved my leg last year. Ruined my pants though, lol.
Var har du skyddsutrustningen?
Sometimes during storm cleanup there’s no time
Thanks to Hurricane Helene, I lost practically all of my mature oak & hickory trees on my one acre. The hickories snapped above ground, as if they were struck by artillery fire, but the oaks rolled over with the roots bringing up a bunch of dirt & small rocks. I'm going to try to knock as much dirt off of the roots as reasonably possible before I cut the trunk free. I'm strongly considering buying a sawmill in order to salvage the timber that I have spent many years caring for.
Asheville here, yep, chainsaws everywhere, lots of great wood to be had for sure.
Im gonna remember that leverage trick for later use
Great idea right there
I did worrie a lil when you were cutting so close to the root mass
I usually reduce it down to just the trunk and piece by piece until it stands back up
I do the same. My usual procedure is the slice and dice from the top down. I cut firewood. The little stuff gets cut into 16 to 20 feet if I have a chipper,,, or 4 feet if I do anything else. However, from the fireplace size 3 to 4 inch minimum, it all gets reduced for the customer's choice. 12 and 14 inches for wood stoves,, 16 to 24 for fireplaces. I work from the top down. When the balance is finally on the stump side it stands right up. No pinch, and normally I am 8 to 16 feet away from the stump when gravity takes over.
Terrible cut! Wasted four or five feet of perfect butt log. Yet another example of novices posting on YT to prove they are something 🙄 they’re not
Glad you wear chaps but I invite you to wear a chainsaw helmet thing and hearing protection too. Stay safe
Type in CAPS, he can't hear you
Might want to sharpen the chain too. Nothing but sawdust coming off of that saw, no chips to speak of.
@@Rudecheers cause his hearing is lost haha
🤣
Nice video, but you could have been that trees example.
A 5 year old boy, here in Tennessee, was killed while playing in the dirt under the roots. His dad cut the tree and that happened.
How did the boy not see the roots
Tragedy how ever I blame anyone that young for a very dangerous mistake I blame the pop but again very tragic very freak accident type thing I'm sure the pop already feels like shit so what is done is done move on but dayum could of Been prevented FCK
U hear the story in FL the dad ran over his young daughter maybe like 6yo at the time this was like 10 yrs ago with rider mower her name is Ireland she lost both her feet but boy she is awesome I met her she lived in my neighborhood than I moved a couple miles away but she would be at the community pool at the clubhouse and she is so bright and playful and smiling. I honestly teared up when I was in the pool and she was hanging at the like clubhouse patio with other kids everyone was being her friend and wanting to be nice to her ya know cuz it's like what a very traumatic thing getting blades to cut your feet off there must of been sooo much blood hopefully she passed out idk the details I didn't know their family but it was in the paper and the news
if that was me I would be a sad bitter hateful person but she was a trooper and a kind soul. Than there was another story a dad ran over completely ran over his son and the blades fked him pretty good but he survived man and the docs said this and that about healing like no movement in ur arms again bro he called on Jesus and believed for healing supernaturally and I cried during that UA-cam he could move his arms play sports even and he has some jacked up scars yes but the docs were like how the heck? Idk I think his nerves and muscles and stuff got really injured they didn't think he would recover
Anyway there is life and death in our days here on the earth everyday just know God has our time when we die written in His books man alrea written God is with us always man
Gtg start my day
May God bless you
Tampa FL
Daniel
@@dannyr333 what?
@@UnfunnyDaffenDales98775 what what?
I rabbit trailer a tad
I’m glade I run across this video…. I have a tree just about this size with a huge rout ball, I’ve been cutting branches and filling the hole. I don’t have a tractor big enough to handle the load, but slipping that wedge limb under the tree could be a life saver if I hang up my saw.
Thanks for watching! Be safe out there
Great - I’m too ignorant on all of this to just cut a few trees on our property for firewood. How do you learn the basics (and I know this isn’t “basic”) to not die?
Watch videos like this, this was on a fairly steep hill, which throws a whole other set of rules into the game of cutting trees
@@katiejon17 Start with a small saw and work your way up over a few year's time. Watch "how too" videos frequently. If a saw ever "looks" too big for you then it probably is. A saw with an 18" to 20" bar will do everything that YOU need it to do. Remember, a 20" bar will cut a 3' tree trunk because you are going to ring the tree trunk all the way around. An 18" bar will get pretty close. For your mainline saw always pay more money and get the professional series saw. They hold up better and turn more rpms when deep in the tree trunk. Aim for a 60cc saw (mine is 59cc). Finally, get yourself a basic-level pruning saw with a 14" bar. For jobs too small for your mainline saw your pruning saw will get the rest. At 13 lbs your mainline saw is just gonna be too heavy to run around the property and cut every little sapling and branch that comes along. It will wear you out, and then it becomes somewhat dangerous as it starts to feel heavy and unwieldy. Older professionals cutting all day tend to go with 18" bars in order to lighten up the weight and increase safety. Get a carrying case for your saw. Only run 95 octane pre-mix in your saw--it can stay put-away for months and still crank on the first pull.
And dude's not wearing eye protection you could loose your vision
It makes my eyes hurt just watching
I don't see any hearing protection either.
So many things could happen here.... the tree could have popped up on its own, hitting the man with the saw..... but, the root ball looks fairly safe and beautiful.... until it falls back in place! Wood is shockingly heavy. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching, I’m glad you found it useful!
I know mine is
There is a very sad video on UA-cam of a guy who's father was killed removing a tree on a hill. He was using a bulldozer to uproot the stump. For some reason he got off the bulldozer to do something.....and ended up at the bottom of the hill.....killed by the stump. They don't know exactly what happened. I once read that trees or branches kill more people than lightning. Lightning kills 20. Trees kill 100. That's five times as many as lightning.
Who died?
Luckily no one, but can you see how they could have?
I cut a tree like that once and did it wrong- the bottom jumped up so fast it would have taken my head off if I hadn't stepped back a few feet.
That’s some scary stuff
Yeah take a shovel and fill in the dirt behind the stump. Also prop the stup with a chunk of log. Keep it from falling back in. To make it easier to remove the stump afterwards. No digging it out of the hole.
That’s a good idea, but I would prefer using machinery over a shovel
@@MattWag56 yep true
there was a news article in germany of kindergarten kids playing outdoors on or between tree trunks. one tree trunk started moving and a kid was fatally injured. the nanny was then indicted with negligence leading to death.
Oh no that is horrible
He cut the high stump. This way it can't fall over to the other side in case it is not obvious. Well done.
Thanks
I had an oak down like this from hurricane Milton and I made the cut like this gentleman, then I just finished from below. The key is just be gentle, don't get the saw anywhere it can get pinched, and have patience. It's not a race to the finish.
Good words of wisdom Sir
Fallen trees, especially crooked trees, can lash out in unexpected ways.
It's well worth the $$$ to hire a pro with experience and insurance.
Great Advice
Interesting... I think most people would assume that a fallen tree like that is dynamically inert. How would you safely cut it, saw only?
the same way
Undercut it a little first. Then finish the cut from the top down. Tap in a couple of wedges to prevent binding the bar. No machine necessary.
It depends on the situation. Storm work is a very dynamic environment and even the most skilled can be caught off gaurd. Then tragedy, it only takes one misjudged cut. R.I.P. Jed.
Cut it and watch yer tootsies!
I knew a guy that had a huge oak like that, he cut from one side walked around the root of the tree and it snapped when he got behind it and buried him. A little bit of his hair was sticking out from under the dirt. That’s how they found him. I’ve been cutting storm damage trees and they are quite unpredictable. I will park my skid steer next to them so if they snap towards me it hits that instead of me. Lot easier to fix that than me.
i watched my uncle get lifted off the ground when a rootball like this stood up and the chainsaw was left pinched in the tree 15 ft off the ground. Surprised his shoulder wasn’t dislocated. Im sure it hurt.. This was during hurricane Katrina cleanup.
Sounds terrible, he got lucky
On January 9th, 2024, it was very windy and rainy. It was so windy that the big pine tree in my backyard was uprooted. The tree people are coming tomorrow. The tree was very big and tall. It's now lying over the fence. It hit both my garage and the neighbors' garage.
Terrible
The danger of standing under/near the root ball should be obvious. However, had he cut all the way through, it seems the same thing could've happened and kicked the saw up as well? So is the lesson here that you go to the underside to finish the cut? Assuming one doesn't have the big machine to help.
Not obvious to Greenhorns. They can think the sheer weight of it would do the opposite and keep it from doing anything else. They don't think of it being under all that pressure just waiting to be sprung loose.
I was cutting up large oak that was pushed down then back into woods 2 years before I got to it and it still had enough spring release to fly up break a lot of my bones
That’s not good. At least you are still here to tell about it
Why would someone stand under the rootball?
Watch yo kids is the moral of the story
Because people are stupid
@@MattWag56 Keep them the hell away from chainsaw work.
@@jackylsmith8138 They are unaware of the danger.
@@mickey1849 preach!
I have several snaggles of uprooted trees on my property and it is slow work indeed. I don't have a choice but to try this at home. I have two huge birch trees leaning on a giant fir and all three are leaning toward the road. Don't try THIS at home, kids.
Had something like this happen to me before, finished my cut and put my saw down on the ball end of the tree... went to get a sip of water, it took a minute or so to happen, but when the root ball slammed back it launched my saw about 15 feet into the air. Thankfully the only causualty that day was the saw🤫
Sounds like you got lucky that day. Logging is a dangerous sport
More dangerous to be around that heavy equipment than the tree. The tree itself would have rotted down to dust on its own.
Yes that is true
I know a guy who's dog was crushed by a root ball.
Broke his heart.
That would be terrible 😢
I cut big oak fell across road on 2 fences blowover like that with big branches echo timbersaw 5 HP, those will roll if the limbs holding it up ain't cut
True
At least you don't have to dig the roots out on that one. Lucky!
Clickbait. Please stop. Pianos can kill people too. Just don’t stand under them when movers are hoisting to a 2nd floor apartment.
😂
A fallen tree can’t kill you. It’s a muppet with a chainsaw that can kill you
Definitely have to watch out for those
I had a teacher in high-school who use to be a lumber jack and he could tell you some death stories. I have two off hand.
One where his buddy was doing this same thing standing to close trunk snapped with a sharp point and gutted him open like fish insides everywhere on the ground, and another where a dad was teaching his son the ropes for his first day only for a big tree to fall on his son do to a bad call and the branches had impaled the son threw out his body killed instantly right in front of his father. Cutting trees are no joke including putting out forest fires. Think before you act.
So many of us can learn from those teachers in high school stories, they kinda stick in the back of your head
Best way is to cut an open notch on the underside and finish by cutting down from the top, as if you are "felling" the tree towards the ground. It will lift up and then break, the log will fall back down (so cut it close to the base to prevent the log going over you). And the stump will fall back in the hole. 75% of the time. Sometimes it will just stay there though and you will have a hazard until the root ball is ground or chopped up and the dirt is washed back into the hole.
👍🏼
I have seen this happen when a giant black cherry tree that had uprooted was cut. Thank God no one was standing near the rootball.
Yes sir it happens just like that. Watch that your dog isn't sniffing in that root hole while you cut the trunk loose. God be with anyone running a chain saw. Trees are evil.
You can spot a novice when the saw spew dust instead of ripping chips lol
True
Every tree job is a lesson in physics....pay attention.
Absolutely 💯
I know of someone who was crushed by a moving rootball quite a while after it had been cut.
That’s sad
A local man was cutting a blow down and his 2 grandchildren were playing under the root ball. Tragically both were killed when it sprung back trapping them under it.
That’s terrible
That's sad..negligence on the grandparents though due to the highly hazardous situation. When cutting felled trees, only trained people should be present.
I see the guy wearing leg chaps. Excellent! I'm a forester and often visit loggers on the job- everyone's leg chaps have cuts in them. Anyone not wearing them using a saw is making a big mistake. The first ones I owned in the '70s were made of steel belts like on a tire! And were very heavy. Now they're almost weightless.
Leg chaps but no helmet??
@@georgeharsin6292 I had a forestry professor who had a scar running down the side of his face. In his first class of the semester he talked about it- how he got that when young, cutting with a chainsaw and not wearing a helmet and the saw kick backed. I'm glad I got that talk so I've always worn a helmet when using a saw.
Legend says thats how DooDah died in the bush( sung to Camptown Races)...seriously though, windthrown trees are a gnarly puzzle to be careful around.
Who is DooDah?
Never knew the root ball could stand back up like that.
Kind of crazy
In the south we call that a hasty burial
The person the tree killed, was invisible, right?!! 😅 😂 🤣
😂
i had this happen with a digger pine it stood10 feet back up and almost drug another 15 feet
I lost a female cousin 2 years ago to a falling tree. Her husband cut the tree and it didn't fall. Told my 28 year old female cousin to get on the 4 wheeler and push the tree. It came down on her and killed her instantly. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Just following her husbands instructions.
I'm gonna start leaving my cat at home from now on.....
🤣🤣
I cut a tree like this only much farther from the base, I thought if I calculated it right I could ring it from there, it sprang back up and I had to cut the tree down 🤪
That’s a great story! Thanks for sharing
well, yeah... who would stand under the root ball while its being cut?
Kamala Voters is my first guess 🤔
That's insane, I never knew trees can do that.
Now you know where loggers hide bodies
Yes
I've cut a tree in a similar position but i cut in two places to release the pressure. I still can appreciate the potential danger.
Didn't expected it to stand back like stamping on whatever is under the root ball.
I must have missed something. It looked like it was well planned out
I had that happen once with a huge oak. Happened so fast it was shocking.
Most of the time when you deal with big trees like this, any movement can be fast and deadly. Be safe out there
Imagine being up 35- 40 ft. and you make a cut and it stands back up with you in it. Happened to me in 2005 during Hurricane Wilma clean up. Awesome tush.
😳
That surprises someone.
Totally should be what's expected to happen.
Aaa...the old root ball counterweight. Looks like you got everything under control, tho
That could have been a very unexpected action to a lot of people. Too many folks would not have anticipated it.
Now you can try how does it feel to be trampled by an Ent in Lord of the Rings.
😝
Sometimes you gotta trim the dead weight to get back to your roots.
👍🏼
Thats a clever way to bury a body. Now, where do I find a fallen tree?
😳
damn.. the stomp's back!😅
Only time I ever almost got killed by a tree is stepping on a hive by the tree
That would be a bad way to go too
Don’t rush when cutting trees. Look listen think. Take your time.
Absolutely 👍🏼
When I was a kid there was a old tree like this, me and my friends turned it into a dugout clubhouse. one day after school I went over to it only to discover a rotten stump on top of our stash of army men stolen cigarettes and porn mags, they were never to be seen again.
Haha heck of a story
Suggested New Title: How a clickbait UA-cam video can bore you to death: Watch and Learn!
😂
I did not learn how a fallen tree can kill anyone …. 🤷♂️
When the stump went back into the ground like nothing happened, the guy laughed so hard he died.
🤣
Good thing he didn't stand in front of the loader.
Yea that would have been real bad
I grew up doing this, if you didn’t, watch some videos please. Or call a professional. Be safe Y’all.
TUNE YOUR SAW! That low speed jet is starving of fuel.
Ain’t nobody got time for all that
@@MattWag56 So what do you do when your chain is dull? Or when you need to add gas or bar oil lol? What about changing the bar? Or cleaning air filter? Just toss the saw? This is all a part of using and operating a chain saw. Your saw would run so much cooler and harder and LONGER, not to mention start WAY easier. Just loosen up the “L” screw about 1/3 a turn counter clock wise, this is a good guess and should help a lot. That wining idle you hear after a hard cut and that increasing RPM is due to the low speed starving the engine of fuel.
There’s no time for all that
No ear or eye protection?...Seriously?
Yea we crazy
But- if that log is going to be used by a sawmill- it would have been better to cut it lower. If possible- maybe he thought it was too dangerous. Not worth getting hurt for a few more dollars.
True
Yes, if you move it with heavy machinery it can kick up a dust cloud... yes, very dangerous...
with the lifter available I'd have tried to move the trunk away from the root cavity to prevent the falling back
This tree was huge, our 863 Bobcat wouldn’t budge a large tree like this with a 40”+ base
But that’s a good idea 👍🏼
Unless they don’t have sense. Always in restroom, driving to parts store’.
😂
i love listening to this chainsaw sound
Yes, I fall asleep to the recording almost every night
How?
New content coming soon!
And never walk under a ladder.
Facts
You can hide a dead body under that root ball too
Yea pretty much anything you don’t want to see for a while
I don't get it. There was seemingly no tension on the tree besides the obvious upward tension on the rootball. How can that kill you?!? It's when they are under sideways tension and hit you like a giant baseball bat that they are dangerous! Or when the root ball can fall towards the tree and crush the feller, that's real bad news!
I guess the main point would be if someone(like a kid) happened to venture around the rootball while this was happening
That would be called a stump burial. 👊🏼👍🏼🤙🏼
🫣