How To Cut Down a Dangerous Leaning Tree

[@davidmays2161]

That tree is an accurate representation in shape of the lumber I purchase from retail stores.

[@michaelgarrow3239]

😹

[@stevewhite3899]

Very funny……and sadly accurate !!!

[@Mark-ps6zf]

😂

[@DaveGrimm-n6m]

It’s potentially vertical grain!!

[@michaelgarrow3239]

@@DaveGrimm-n6m - it’s vertical until it falls down.. then its horizontal… 😹

[@JeffGeorgalas]

As someone with quite a bit of cutting experience (although far from claiming to be a pro), I knew pretty much everything that you explained in this video, but could probably never have explained it as well or thoroughly as you did. You did a fine job of explaining everything. You also did a great job of actually felling the tree. Of course you're always going to have the pseudo pros that tell you what you did wrong, or what you could have done better, but to me, that tree did exactly what you wanted it to do, and don't personally see anything that I'd have done differently. Nice job Brock!

[@Daisyworld743]

Nothing about tension and compression?

[@PapawMule]

Lifetime logger here. He got it rite. Safest way to get it down.

[@unclemoe5733]

This was a great tutorial! I spent 40 years in the industry. So many people pretending to know what they are doing is a scary. Their should be mandatory training for tree workers!

[@Bushman9]

Best part was reviewing the cuts at the stump afterwards. This is where you see exactly what you did and where the improvements could be made next time.

[@todd9453]

Brock, I have used that same method several times in the past couple of years. I have been cutting trees for firewood for around 42 years and can't believe how wrong I was doing it on many occasions but luckily never got hurt. I will say though that the one one thing I have always done in the woods is clear two escape paths away from the tree as well as a large circumference area around the base of the tree; even if it took 15-20 minutes to do when under growth was thick. Great video!!

[@andrewhanson5942]

Oh yeah. The escape routes. Too late to clear those out once you really need them!

[@RobertBrothersJr-dc7nr]

Excellent video Brock. You did an excellent job explaining your methodology. I learned a tremendous amount from this video. I don’t have much experience cutting trees and from time to time I need to cut down one. Thanks for a fantastic video.

[@drrussdc]

1. Learning from mistakes is important. 2. Not making big mistakes is even more important. Excellent video!

[@ActiveJoe]

A well detailed set of steps to handle a problematic tree job. Thanks for sharing.. All the best and God Bless. 🙏❤🇺🇸

[@rjackson64840]

Thanks!

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks

[@barnybrewman1571]

Excellent video. Like my grandpa once told me about working in the woods, the way to tell a good feller from a bad one, is that the good one is still alive.

[@JusBidniss]

Hey Brock, do you have a video or any tips for re-directing a leaner away from the direction it's leaning? Such as to miss a garage or something? Like playing with the hinge thickness, maybe?

[@FirewoodInTheField]

Brock, thanks for taking the time to show this technique with explaining how it all works!

[@btcolber]

Excellent Video, I fell plenty of trees for firewood- on agreement with the owners- dead trees, dying trees , trees that need removing for whatever reason. Only had a couple of very hard leaners -which made me very very cautious- and a little nervous. Following this video to the letter gave a clear path to follow, with no nasty surprises. Only difference was I wrapped a high strength rope , 10 times aound the trunk, about a foot above the cuts.

[@nigelsansom2407]

This was very instructive, many thanks for posting. Some years ago I had a very large ancient poplar about five feet at the base and very tall with about a 30 degree lean. What put me off attempting it (apart from the size) was the fact that it had a hollow interior with much of the heartwood rotted away. I decided to call in a professional and was so pleased to recognise a dangerous situation on that occasion. However, after watching your video I have a new found respect for much smaller leaning trees and something new in my mind about how to treat them. So, thank you, I shall definitely be employing this technique rather than just trusting gravity to take care of most of the thinking/planning.

[@johngersna3263]

Good morning Brock. Excellent video. Who says that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Very informative. God bless and have a wonderful day. 👍👍🙂

[@edeaglehouse2221]

That's a lot more advanced than I thought. Yeah, I won't be cutting down a leaning tree like that one. For the people who don't understand why the tree splitting would be dangerous, think of the split portion as a large lever that will launch you into the other trees with extreme prejudice. The chains was a great safety device to lessen the chance of that happening if you'd made a mistake and cut the "trigger" too thin. Thanks for the educational explanations and demonstration.

[@christianwitness]

Good job. I agree with your precautions. I have never used a chain though. I will have to try it.

[@whiskeythree1622]

Perfect format -- you covered the important info & kept it concise. Besides that, this info will help me this year for sure -- I cut trees to heat the home. Was that a new chain? Couldn't believe how you cut right into the heart of the tree from the side! Appreciate ya.

[@BrendanShannon-g3t]

Thanks for the very informative video Brock I have a lot of ash dieback tree’s on my land that will have to be cut down I feel more confident after seeing this video Best wishes for Ireland

[@SepticWhelk]

Sooner rather than later chap some hear in wales are much more wearsa in side than you can tell from the out side, full of black tree cancer !

[@jeromebecigneul2911]

That really is one very much leaning tree. never seen it done that way but it certainly work out nicely, Good seeing you out there Brock. have a great day and stay safe in the crazy weather we've had this Spring.

[@OverkillWoodcraft]

Great video and regardless of the minor improvements, beautiful fall. I swear 2/10 of the trees I fell on my property are like this and require a bore cut, except I have zero flat ground... Never cut some of the hinge away before because they've all been half rotted in the middle, but I'll see if that can be done on some upcoming trees. Also never thought about wrapping chains, thanks for the insights!

[@Cowboy_Steve]

Howdy Brock! Good job covering all the bases with a difficult tree. Every tree is different and this one was surely unique. Never stop learning - complacency can be fatal. Well done and thanks for sharing 🤠

[@brianczuhai8909]

Nice! You put chains around it to protect against barber chair. I just did mine today. My chain wasn’t long enough. I don’t know what happen to my other chain?? I passed on that and waited till it was all frozen 21 F to make it more solid. It was semi rotted. Did a bore cut. Made sure I had a good cut hinge in front, first. It fell quit well and controlled though I cut too far into the back strap and triggered it from the inside out. I need to clear it out and assess how good my cut was. You should always do that by the way.

[@RockhillfarmYT]

It’s easy to cut too far on your back cut and have it fall instead of leading the trigger. For quite a while, I underestimated how much to leave

[@brianczuhai8909]

@@RockhillfarmYT Yeah. Just like you said. The bore cut was longer than my bar. and they didn't match up. But they appeared to be close. I was just happy to see you chained it first. I didn't want to do straps. Also didn't want to over complicate it as just the 15' trunk was left. Waiting till if froze might have been a good move since it appears it was a little wet and rotted looking inside. It had a decent lean to it.

[@PeeksPeakHobbyHomestead]

Lots of good information in this one.

[@keithcourneyea1609]

Thanks for this. I have a poplar tree in a similar situation. Maybe 10” diameter. Am going to try your method.

[@TheRustyGarageandHomestead]

Brock, great information in this video. Very good representation of how to execute this method

[@oakiewoodsman]

He is great at explaining

[@TheRustyGarageandHomestead]

@@oakiewoodsman agreed Mr Joe

[@johnultimate1161]

Best felling advice I have seen on the net. Thanks.

[@joequillun7790]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like good advice. You made it look easy, (because you knew what you were doing.)👍

[@paul.tuttle]

Good job man, well done !!! This is the perfect way to get a complicated job like this done! I might even use it in my classes: You need a good laugh? Yes, we actually do have classes for the chainsaw license here over the pond!!! And you would have passed it A+ !!! And, other than many of your fellow US tree works or KZbinrs, you are actually wearing protection gear. Sometimes I get the impression, that some people think, PPE is overrated ...... So: Thanks again for this informative and yet entertaining video !!!

[@nickc7320]

I was gonna say bs when the video started, but I'm the end. I was impressed.

[@ralphrae5316]

Well done. The only thing I would add is that some trees you should just walk away from. The trick is to recognize a dangerous situation.

[@janwouterjansen6685]

can you also change it direction about 30 degrees? or is this heavy lean impossible to change?

[@brisbanekilarny6212]

Great idea with the chains.

[@shermanhofacker4428]

Back when most of my tree felling was done with a crosscut saw, most of the notches on smaller trees were made with the axe, so the notches were often slanted. I cannot think of a single time that affected the fall of the tree. Trees two feet in diameter and larger had the horizontal cut of the notches made with the crosscut and then chopped the rest of the notch. Felling wedges were cut as needed from drier limb timber.

[@barryrussell4106]

Great video I’ll use that oak to build cabinets be buying it at the lumber yard next week

[@jamesharless5357]

Very nice job on the tree cutting Brock. Another great video!👍🏻

[@cautious1343]

I had a trigger break on me recently. A big pine very much the same shape as this oak. Tree fell where I aimed it but that breaking part spooked me a little.

[@kelseyboy]

i loved the video, good training, explanation was on point, i love the self critique at the end, for all that you get a subscribe.

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks

[@JCWren]

There's also the issue that with a larger tree, it can be hard to judge exactly where your saw is relation to previous cuts. Tilt the saw even slightly in any direction and your cuts won't line up. Compound that where you're working at 18" to 24" above the ground and you're leaning over trying to get your sight line. Then you're wrestling a 16+ pound saw 90 degrees out of the way you'd normally hold it. None of it unmanageable, but it's a lot easier to make mistakes than when you're just bucking logs into rounds.

[@ejsocci2630]

Awesome video, thanks for sharing.

[@mvblitzyo]

Excellent description and demonstration

[@Robphoto37]

Thank you. I appreciate your insight.

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks

[@haroldsmith8398]

What a great video I learned a lot. Thank you.

[@Calligraphybooster]

Beautifully done!

[@hacc220able]

Thanks for sharing

[@wayneallan2550]

Very well done.

[@grellis6483]

Sorry, if I missed something but a couple of questions: 1. What did the chains achieve? 2. That face cut seemed very shallow. Wouldn't a somewhat deeper cut have been advisable?

[@davz1764]

The chains were insurance that were not needed due to the mans high skill. IF the tree tried to split (it didnt) the chain would reduce the chance of if a slice of the split going flying by pinning/keeping the split together.

[@JusBidniss]

Exactly right! The split would typically cause the back half of the tree, away from the fall direction, to kick back, while the weight of the falling tree pivoted forward on the unbroken front part until it broke. And the split and barberchair would not be all that predictable with respect to back and front, if the tree would roll sideways as it fell, throwing the two parts in literally any direction. All this depends in part on the internal stresses of the tree, which on a leaner like this are incredibly high. So yeah, a chain wrapping around it to keep any splits together is a good idea on a leaner like this one.

[@JusBidniss]

Oh, and to your second question, it would be considered shallow on a straight vertical tree. But again in this case with such an extreme leaner, he made it shallow to give room for his hinge wood, his bore cut and his back-side trigger, so that he could fall it all in one piece without a barberchair split. A vertical tree would not need a bore cut, and the back side of the hinge wood would be defined instead by the back cut.

[@grellis6483]

@@JusBidniss Thanks for the answers. Useful. Cheers.

[@SepticWhelk]

So what does cutting out the hinge center do ?

[@RockhillfarmYT]

The barber chair happens when the tree splits vertically up the hinge. Period essentially meaning your hinge had too much strength in comparison to the overhead forces.

[@houndofgoshen5363]

Excellent video!!!!! Great job!!!

[@zaccheus]

I'm thinking the letterbox cut probably didn't aid in barber chair resistance. A thinner hinge likely would have been more beneficial. Making the bore cut closer to the elevation of the apex of the face cut will make it easier to get the hinge just the way you want it. Good call making the face cut small, that lessens the stress on the trigger as well. Letterboxing is more about making a back cut with a saw that is too short to reach the center of the tree. Well done, it's always good to experiment with different things when the situation allows.

[@jc-d6179]

Very sound advice.

[@alanross3435]

I’m so glad I subscribed to your channel! I have one Alder that leans like that, I’m going to try your method! 👍🏻☮✌🏻

[@abrogard]

I am just a watcher. Know nothing. So I'm just asking. Could the bore cut and trigger cut and horizontal part of the face cut all be at the same level and if not why not? And how would you safely bring down a leaner like this if you don't have a chainsaw just a hand bowsaw? Bit big maybe trees half the girth would be meat for a bowsaw and perhaps still dangerous or at least in need of controlled felling. And for interest's sake: how would you bring it down with an axe?

[@kengarrett1116]

What was the purpose of the chains???

[@spandon]

Great job, cheers.

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks

[@johnhasse3995]

very good commentary.

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks

[@tommywise1702]

Interesting and informative. Thanks for the I formation.

[@epiphgd4302]

Any way of making it fall the other direction?

[@kurtlanford1448]

Great job sir !

[@lonnieholbert8898]

Great video.

[@donjohnstone9685]

Very well explained on a tree with this type of lean..... can be very dangerous if cut with a conventional front notch and back cut....well done !!

[@brucehackett296]

Have you ever had a reverse barber chair?

[@shermanhofacker4428]

I try to keep my cuts in line with the horizontal part of the notch, most often the top. Exception is the trigger, it's lower than the bore cut to decrease the chances of the bar getting caught in the falling tree if the trigger breaks early.

[@nrobinson7951]

Morning, good job.

[@nathangahman8717]

Great job! 👍

[@durkbouma6642]

Brock you Rock dude :)

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks

[@jcburch44]

Appreciate the humility Brock.

[@BGWenterprises]

With red alder out west, it's a very soft, hard wood. Actually has a btu value near or under a pine tree. Super sharp chain and plenty of power on point. Is the common way people deal with them. . It's also the tree that's taken quite a few people's lives, because they don't take it seriously. and / or try and fall one with a dull chain. or a way little home owner saw.

[@skiterbite]

Well done and articulated . The tree lady would be pissed off that you cut a deformed Oak

[@wiliamsantana572]

Nice

[@Supercharged111]

Any reason you didn't just walk that bore cut right out the back so the whole back cut was in the same plane? Kinda splitting hairs I know, but that's the way I've seen it done in other videos.

[@RockhillfarmYT]

If you saw it done that way in another video, it was probably an accident or they didn’t know The story in the tree felling world is that cutting the trigger from the outside allows you to get into a safer more comfortable position, and it prevents the saw from being flipped out of your hand if the tree splits differently than you expect Best practice is to cut the trigger a little higher than your back cut I’ve got a video about tree felling techniques that has 2 million views. In that video, I took the cut straight out the back, on accident. I just underestimated how big to leave the trigger. The biggest thing I get comments on with that video is that it’s dangerous to take the cut straight out the back

[@dp1381]

Well done

[@gunterbecker8528]

Well done sir !

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks

[@projectswithjw]

Good Morning

[@jimwilson8879]

I've used chain and strong rope or line. Having experienced the barber chair up close and personal using anything that is Strong Enough to keep the trunk from splitting is IMHO not overkill. Clearing trees for a better view for client with high bank waterfront A large alder did the barber chair close enough that I felt a breeze blow across my face when tree exploded.

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks for sharing. Most of the comments don’t get the risk of it.

[@charlesbentley2934]

Maybe you can make some ship ribs if the tree is bent correctly.

[@michaelg8642]

big leaning trees get assigned as “character trees”… i totally left them because they looked cool, not because I was afraid to cut them 😬

[@schretien8714]

I've got a marmosa tree that im trying to bring down without it falling on a fence. Dreading how dangerous it is... I want it to go the opposite direction...

[@paulrooster2108]

Yep when ya walk around to the back of the tree and ya hear that SNAP , oh boy it's about to get REAL

[@ellobo1326]

Nice job !

[@daveallen7767]

No oak wilt in your area ? Lucky if not. We don’t cut oak until late fall or winter in Midwest

[@jamese9283]

Good advice, but you don't need those extra cuts if you have the chain or a rope tied around. Use the extra cuts if something to wrap the trunk isn't handy.

[@jacklabloom635]

Good job.

[@deanschuette8294]

Fine work,only thing different I would have done is moved up a couple feet.

[@deanschuette8294]

Because I’m old 😂

[@brucehackett296]

You don't need to chain up a leaning tree if you wanted to fall without barber chairing all you need to do is make your notch do a plunge cut and finish off going away from the notch.

[@johnwoodward4175]

Nice!

[@RockhillfarmYT]

Thanks

[@oakiewoodsman]

Good work getting it down safely and very good explanation.

[@markklaamas]

Good video with clear instructions and reasoning!

[@kfelix2934]

Good explanation and a great job.

[@andrewhanson5942]

Brock, you can cut down any friggin' tree on your property without the need for explanations!

[@paulreinmund2038]

Excellent information and explanation.

[@williammouri1096]

If you are cleaning up trees or large branches already on the ground and they are bent under tension, they are just as deadly. I've seen people die. Be careful.

[@patrickcorbett8361]

Good job Brockster ...And I thought there was nothing 'boring' about your videos..lol ! pc

[@phillyfathead]

Nope, picture perfect good safe job!

[@brucehackett296]

I've also been involved in the investigations of people who have died on the job while learning on the job. It's not the most pleasant thing that you going to run into. You have to have a good foundation + it seems like most of these courses most of these government-run programs. There's not a lot of actual substance behind them. They fluff over a lot of the things that you should be doing. They gloss over potential problem. They don't address all of the common missing understandings that people have. They get people into trouble because they send them out thinking that they know a lot when they know nothing.

[@smurface549]

Wrong video title. You should name it "How to dangerously cut down a leaning tree". The way you bore into the notch face with the upper half of the tip is asking for a kickback to happen. It's advisable to never do that, use the lower half instead. And even more, please don't show it to less experienced people to do it this way. You're already leading by good example by using chaps and a proper helmet with a visor and hearing protection. Keep it safe, not everyone watching your videos has enough experience to judge what could happen when they exactly repeat what you do. Not criticizing the felling technique btw. It's exactly what the logger schools here teach as well, so well done.

[@cliffordburroughs2749]

Is anyone going to point out that using the kickback point of the bar is not optimal?

[@brettblack7049]

You don't love trees, you never hugged it or even said goodbye 😂.

[@davidwarren4569]

Perhaps you need to start your bore cut in the face cut using the lower part of the bar tip. People with less experience are watching. Nice job by the way.