Super Stupid Stubborn Tree Removal! Doug Fir falls into neighboring tree and gets stuck! 

As a non tree-cutting expert, I probably would’ve cut it in some strange way and ended up getting myself killed

There's an old saying here in Ireland: "The man who never made a mistake never made anything." Great recovery from a situation that didn't go to plan, and everyone went home safe and well! A musing from far away in unstressed comfort: Might it have been possible to get the pull rope higher up towards the main entanglement, and the winch rigged somewhere much farther away, in order to get a more horizontally directed pull? You'd never get a truly horizontal pull of course, but your rig was exerting the majority of its force downwards, rather than sideways, which was what you really needed. In any case, excellent work, and many thanks for showing the whole operation, warts and all.

As a professional climber/rigger I would DEFINITELY NOT climb that tree, just because i don't think it would be safe. When you are hang up in that tree and the tree falls, no one knows if it will try to pull you with it. And it will probably hurt you in some way. You tried your best, it's not always easy and simple. We all learn every day. You did well and everybody is safe. That's what really matters!

I really appreciate you sharing this kind of work, where it doesn't go as planned. We've all struggled with snags that are hard to read and stay hung up. Great work!

Hey .. Dutch dude here ... It has been 30+ years since I was felling trees in the south of France, production forests, but I have such fond memories of that time... never did I do this complicated work like you do, but I enjoy watching it so much. Thanks dudes, thanks a lot, and stay professional like you are. Be proud and grateful, for that is a golden combination. Thanks again!

As I sit here my second week in the ICU In Spokane Washington from falling out of a 35ft Doug fir after I took out 30-40ft top I watch your guys videos day In and day out, your videos definitely help me want to get back to work that’s for sure,keep making your videos they keep me sane and make me want to be back now.

Great episode, and a good days work. Shows the true aspect of tree work that doesn’t get seen, things don’t always go to plan. I’m sure there’s not many RU-vidrs that would post a video like this for fear of being ridiculed. Love the channel and keep it coming.

I loved this episode, very nice to see some of the struggles - not only perfect clean cuts. Only bad thing was the "I am an idiot". Absolutely not. It was a judgement call, it didnt pan out. Very easy to end up results oriented and say it was wrong deccision because it didnt work. Well, it is probably the correct decision more often then not - and hell of alot safer.

I like showing ur vids like this to the boss, just to remind him that it aint just us lol

Even the pros learn something new every day.....glad you are sharing your knowledge with us. Just shows average Joe how much respect you have to have for trees and hopefully makes everyone think twice before starting a cut. You just may save a life here or there down the road. Keep up the good work!

Really appreciate the share, showing us all that it a normal job with hang ups, literally. Being humble is an attribute a lot of RU-vidrs do not have or edit in a way that makes them come off perfect.

Very informative! One option (perhaps, I wasn't there of course) was to cut away the hinge but leave a few inches of wood of the side to which you want the tree to fall. This way the tree rolls itself out of the branches. This technique does not work in all situations, so once again, just sharing my thoughts. Awesome vid!

Tree is on the ground + crew went home safe = Good day.

I am in no way an expert, but had to deal with a similar tree some years ago. After some initial tries I found the best (and safest) way was to cut the base through and attach a rope to the lowest part of the trunk and use my 4WD to drag the tree away from the stump and away from the tree it was caught on. Surprisingly easy to drag the tree out, despite the huge weigh pushing it into the ground.. Obviously in cutting the base you have to ensure that the tree does not fall off the stump toward the standing tree, otherwise you then have to completely remove the stump. Pulling the base of the trunk away ensures a controlled and safe fall. Congrats on a great series of videos, I really find them useful and interesting.

Excellent video of working through a very complicated situation step by step. Your hesitance to climb the second tree was absolutely the right choice. The continual reevaluation and discussion with the crew & yourself was stellar! The choice to slash cut off the stump to the left was the only questionable choice to me. It increases the angle of force into the standing tree. If you slash cut to the right it would torque the top to the left. If you add another line to the base pulling to the right hard.(with a rotational wrap to assist the roll) it increases the chance of freeing the top. In the end you did it, it’s done, everyone is safe & happy, PERFECT JOB!!!

I've done a lot of these over the years, and I've gotten plenty of power saws stuck as well. Every tree situation has its own obstacles and opportunities, so there is no one rule of thumb. That being said, the one thing that I think I do better than I did in my younger days is attention to rope angle. You also could've doubled your mechanical advantage by putting a block midline on the pull rope and then using a second rope to winch one end while anchoring the other.

Excellent job guy’s, I’m a tree guy here in beautiful Hawaii with a lot of big eucalyptus trees, I was in a particularly situation, happy to see you guys safely get it done, and your decision not to climb was the only one to make👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

you played it right. So it ended up costing more work. Every one go's home and washes off only dirt and sweat. That's a win!

Another good video and definitely not a fail! Y'all created memories and in order to do so you have to live through the experiences! Always appreciate these and you're humbleness without being cocky in any way. Much respect

Always nice when ya get clients like that guy. Good stuff

I actually like these situations out on cut blocks, and right of ways, etc. It puts a fallers skills to the test and forces you to be methodic. The only criticism I have is that the initial assessment should have resulted in both of these stems to be taken out in the reverse order that you did; you never turn your back to a cut up, hung up tree.

Mad respect for you to show your flaws and how you overcame them.. You are not an idiot we all learn from experience on the job no matter what job your in.. Keep up the great work and stay safe 👌

i think there are a hundred " would of, could of, should of " that can play out in this scenario. Unless you are the one fighting the pull of the saw...ignoring the pounding in your chest and trying to understand the feeling in your gut...your input is based on theory .I have done dozens of uprooted, snagged or dangerous trees but i have never done this one...excellent Job gentlemen🤙

I cut them higher, and open much more, so it has to hit the ground with lot of power which (hopefull) brakes the branches and it fells down

My first thought on a tree like this is if can I get a dozer 😂

Great work guys ! I admire the attitudes . Tree work is always challenging , mentally and physically ! Too enjoy and have a good time while your dealing with stubborn trees is key ! Also , I'm still smiling from the " lamented root rot ", comment ! Hilarious ! Stay safe , my brothers from another mother ! 👍

I love how you work with safety and still solve a potentially dangerous situation. Take care and God bless.

@ about 26 minutes the base is cut through. At this point if you could hook up a winch and crank the base to the right, then you gain a better angle of attack on the lean when it gets far enough sideways to fall off the stump. As you did it you lost angle of attack. Another option I've used successfully right from the beginning, though somewhat unnerving cause it happens very fast, is to do the face cut as normal but with an extra big mouth. Then do the back cut as normal. This is done as high as you can reach. Then as low as you can go, do the same in reverse as if you were going to cut the tree to fall towards the yard. The weight pushing down and towards the yard will cause the lower part to tip yardwise, sending the base of the trunk further back and greatly increasing the angle of the lean. If you do this a little at an angle as you were trying to anyway, its often enough to free the top up. Attaching ropes in certain places can help slow the reaction if desired, and ropes in other places can help direct the direction the butt is headed. Not sure about winch verse rope capacity, but the guys were cranking on that rope pretty hard. If it had snapped that might have womped someone on the head pretty hard being in the line of fire by cranking from right under it. Having the redirect higher up would have gained a better angle to pull from, and decreased the chance of getting hit by a broken line. The struggle is real. Been there before. Likely will again.

I think Buckin Billy would have giggled at you ands said "watch friend" kinda his way of saying "hold my beer" hahaha

You got it down and all your guys are in one piece. Job well done! We can all second guess what you did till the end of time but you made what you thought was the best call with the available information. That's all any of us can really do. I learn way more when stuff doesn't go according to plan anyway. Thanks for sharing!

I know it's not easy to post things like this, but it helps new guys like me learn how to adjust plans and work with trees when something doesn't go right. I appreciate this video.

If you're not pinching your bar occasionally, you're not cutting enough wood

It was easy to watch. We are learning everyday with you. Thanks for what you do. Kevin with the camera skillz. 💪🏻🪓⚡️ Great costumers = easy job no matter the situation. Kindness and love one at a time

You Did The Rite Thing Here In Every Way Be Proud that the job got done and no one was hurt! Excellent Decisions we’re made at the right times! Keep up the Good Work

Mad Respect by not coming off as a know it all. We all make mistakes and or wish we could have done things differently. What really matters is that no one got hurt and everyone went home at the end of the day.

really appreciate these videos, helps someone like me new to tree work mentally run through scenarios and learn from other people, even from afar. thanks jake!

This is one of the best channels on RU-vid

Armillaria isn’t the same as laminated root rot (phellinus). Appreciated your humility of the situation. Glad it came down safely.

I appreciate you posting this. Most guys only post the ones that go perfectly. People need to realize that even pros don't always get it right.

As others have stated, glad to see something that didn’t go perfectly. Liked when you took the saw from the bar, trying different things and still not getting the result. Thanks for posting !

There's nothing to be criticised here Jake, and your humility and openness in discussing and handling the situation is admirable. It was likely not visible from the ground, but the drone showed us that the 2 trees weren't just crossing (and therefore hung up by only a few branches) but instead were folded together in their entire upper quarter/third. So they were entangled by dozens of branches over a substantial distance, making separating the two very difficult, and as soon as felling the second tree became an option, it was the best one by miles. But had it not been an option, and assuming crane & dynamite aren't either, then moving your winch to a better pulling angle and adding MA if blocks & line available allow it (as others have suggested) would be safe and low effort. More effort & also safe would have been to bore the base of the leaner's stem to take a long bar or a straight length of one of the nearby saplings, so turning the leaner into a capstan. Taking the line from GRCS to end of the capstan lever would give *huge* rotational force to roll the leaner out. Yet the effort still might fail from energy being stored in the elasticity of the 2 tall spars rather than being transferred up to the entangled branches; Terry Hale would have a good opinion on this. So if these failed & you were left facing climbing as a last resort...that might be the moment to revisit felling the 2nd tree with the owner, or to look at the weather forecast hoping for a windy day to finish the job for you. I did wonder briefly about climbing the nearby tree to above the leaner, and taking it down piece by piece from above, ie from a sound tree under minimal sideways force and from above the trouble. But shuddered at the thought of getting there. Thanks very much for a thought-provoking video.

Being safe is a number 1 priority I think what you did was right. Climbing was a risk that just wasn't worth it. The only thing botched that day was the Duckworth ad 😉

Trees have a mind of their own sometimes so don't get so down on yourself for this. It came down without anyone getting hurt so that's always a good plus. I'm impressed you showed this entire process, discussions and all. This is REAL LIFE situation that anyone will encounter at least once if they fall much. Thanks for Sharing guys.

Cuuting a huge dead oak on the edge of a campsite, I had it backcut just enough for slight movement. But I forgot to take b4 pictures. Long story short the oak took 10 minutes to fall S-L-O-W-L-Y while I looked for my camera...and yup...a stub caught a neighboring tree and stuck. Being a mile into the woods presented a problem. So we wrapped a rope around the trunk multiple times. Then with the help of a come-a-long, I slowly unwound the rope to twist and turn the tree til it was free. Leaners are so much fun. Great video guys.

Tree work seems the same as Recovery/towing. Every job is different. Two jobs can look the same but be miles apart on how they work out.

Seems like there was a simple solution that you overlooked. Leave, get a demolition license, drill a hole large enough for few pounds of c4 and, well, kablooey! :D

You should have set the redirect pulley on the fir with the gcrs about 30-40ft up the tree so you were pulling horizontally on it not so vertically

Hi, George here...That winch can do so much more... go up your standing line, lay a bowline on a bight in there twenty feet or so away from the winch, hook a four shiv block and tackle between the winch and the bowline on a bight. You can snatch that tree over that way without straining the winch handle. Smiling, George.

I'm no expert in tree-felling, at all, but I am an engineer with an expertese in risk management and process-design. You asked if we would have done it differently. Well, I wouldn't. You took the smart route. It was a hard one, but it was the safest looking at the beginning of the journey. It offered the maximum reward for the least effort, while still being the safest looking. If you had picked anything else, that would have been considered a gamble in my books. And sure, you can gamble sometimes. But I would suggest not doing that with your or anybodies lifes at stake. As you of course thought about yourself. I give this effort 10/10.

I had a giant Choke cherry that size fell into an English elm in the woods but more sideways. I bottom cut the cherry in sections to not have to climb the elm. It did not dislodge. I put my gear on and was walking to the healthy upright 90' elm to climb it like many times before with less weight now on it. Was walking to tree in spikes and saddle and the whole works went over. Would have been almost certain death. Treeman's luck.

Nicely done in the end. As mediocre faller and expert tree hanger upper, I have one suggestion you may consider the next time (god forbid) you find yourself with a hang up. With the stem free from the stump as you had it, you can sometimes get it to twist out of the tree it’s hung in and off the stump. This can be done with a chain or heavy duty sling by placing the cinch point of the chain or a sling on the far side of the leaners’ stem. With that high powered winch you have you can then MAYBE get it to roll off the stump. That bit of increased weight along with the cork screwing action in the canopies will sometimes allow the leaner to fall. Wasn't there so I make no judgments other than you guys are good at what you do both in terms of falling and video production. Carry on …Please.

Did a lot of crazy things in my life....always up for a challenge, but falling trees always scared the hell out of me. there is nothing textbook about this profession. all of the skill and knowledge in the world could be thrown out the window in one second.....just too many variables. Much respect👍

Binary ends have a 1 or a 0 😉 I’ve wrapped a rope around a tree and used a winch and it rolled the tree out of the one it was hung up in. I basically was in the same situation as you and cut the tree off the stump. It was a smaller tree though.

I know a few wood lot legends here in Maine that can roll a tree off the stump for issues like this. (Big canopy hardwoods) Think you could do a video on that technique?

Another quality video. I agree with the comments saying you're not an idiot. No one got hurt, trees on the ground, and the home owner is happy. This is a good example of how you can do everything right and still it doesn't go exactly as planned. This is a victory I love that you shared this. It's encouraging to people starting out or even a ways into their career to continue on this road. I'm only cleaning up my yard of fallen trees but I feel move confident to continue by myself because of the knowledge and experience that you share. Earlier I twisted my chainsaw and ruined my chain and bar and was quite discouraged. I watched a couple of your videos and gained some knowledge. I felt empower and attacked the trees with success. Watching this video helps me understand that it may not go the way I envision, but I'll be able to do it. And the most important thing is to keep myself and anyone working with safe.

Enjoying your videos. I first saw the one in which you showed a bunch of different ways in which to notch and fall a tree. It is great, and I have shared it. But, with each one I have seen, I learn a little. Many things you do, I will never try. But sometimes, I just see something small that would help. If I encounter a big leaner, I usually cut down the bottom, sometimes bit by bit, until it swings against the tree it leans against, and sometimes, the top comes back toward me. Once, I have cut the leaner with both still together. It worked, I lived unhurt. And my aim in watching is to stay unhurt. Thanks!

It’s good to see how things might not go as planned. There’s more to learn from videos like this than those where everything goes right. Good job.

If you never fail, you never learn. Never the less, safety is paramount, No one got hurt, no one lost limbs, and the job was still completed. As always still great work

The customer was a very nice guy, super sweet guy. You guys are also great, it was just a gathering of great people respecting each other.

It's great to see that even pros run into sketchy situations like that. I had one of those last weekend, where I tried putting too much angle on the facing cut to push a dying tree away from a nearby tree it was leaning toward. Yep, it broke and fell right into that tree. Luckily, mine was much, much smaller and the rope let me pull it with off just enough. Thanks for the awesome video!

Anytime I hear someone say “all you gotta do is”, I know I am in for a really complex project, taking massive amounts of time, and ultimately possibly killing someone.

There is a technique how you can roll the tree at the bottom, by wrapping a strap around the tree , in the way that when you winching it to another tree is turning it of the other tree(watch video-How to Fell a Windblown Tree).

Dear Jacob, don’t ever apologise for taking the cautious path towards a successful outcome. I’ve had to help put broken and torn bodies back together when a little bit of thinking and a lot of arrogance goes astray. Your team love you because you look after them, treat them like real humans and get them home safe to their families at night. They couldn’t ask for more. I never thought that I would enjoy watching videos on cutting trees. Boy, I was wrong. I can’t wait to summon the courage to ask my wife to agree to buying one. I enjoy watching so much that I want to do some cutting of my own. Cheers.

Definitely glad you posted this one & definitely glad you didn't climb that tree. I wondered about an angled cut to get it to slide off backward and couldn't imagine any safe way to do it so I'm glad it was something you didn't even mention in the video. And I think it's cool you gave the homeowner the "super cool guy" props 👍

It takes a great man to go well that didn't go as planned and still post the video to RU-vid. As always informative and no one got hurt. Nice job!

I've been watching you for quite some time. I've made the same decisions that you just made on big trees that were hung up and they worked out. But to think it would happen 100% of the time would be ridiculous. There's one thing I really understand about you is your maturity level and humility under pressure when everyone's jumping in and trying to change directions in the middle of your process. You have a lot of years ahead of you in the tree business and you are well seasoned beyond your years. Congratulations and nice job. The tree is down. The "idiot" comment was funny but totally inaccurate.

That's why they call that scenario, " The Widow Maker! " I think you guys made the right choice not climbing the healthy tree. You get up there and then Murphy throws you a curve ball, and it's not like you have anywhere to go. Watching this whole thing unwind, I think that taking down the tree that is holding the bad one from falling might be the right call, unless its a tree that the customer wants to save. At the end of the day no one got hurt, no property got destroyed, except maybe a Bar and Chain. So I would say mission accomplished. The most important thing you guys can do is look out for each other, and do everything you can to make sure you all go home every day in one piece. I really enjoy the videos. You guys demonstrate a lot of professionalism.

Thanks for sharing a tricky one. With smaller trees in this situation I have often been able to cut them then winch the trunk back till the top comes free. Tends to plough up the ground, but seems to be a super safe method if you have something to winch from and the right size winch. (mine is a 1500kg turfor type)

Do a video about the steps needed to become a arborist, and what path you took, what certifications you need, ect, and what your full work day beginning to end looks like.

Man, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time for that. I’ve been watching your notching video over and over, so I was trying to put together other ways to approach a tree like this. In this scenario, do you think that a boring cut severing the hinge and leaving a larger backstrap would have had a different outcome? Or would that be a completely wrong way to go about it?

I deal with these hang ups on van island quite often it seems these days I usually use a cable puller or turfer heavy rigging and stand back up in a v of rope. Then climb out to avoid buildings power lines ect but in this scenario I likely would have informed the customer for extra removal because of the stem to stem matchup and just make a safe escape trail and let her rip. Some cases I may do a bore cut and leave an overlapping tap to hold until you can cut up leaning stem. Good call on not climbing it there is no safe way to climb the under tree unless you lift and tie off tree on top

Respect for your grace and humility bro!

I can't see how climbing would have been any kind of safe. If the leaning tree fell against the standing tree's trunk you would be risking cutting a line or catching a line and dragging you with it.

I was trying to imagine the awesome scent of the Doug fir. Wish RU-vid had scent-o-vision! Well done guys.

I am just recently discovering your Chanel. I am learning alot already. Thank you. Your are helping a Guy from Québec to win is life doin something he love... cheers, stay safe

Went through this with a black walnut last week... blocked it out for 10'ish and then dragged the standing end with a 12k winch until it fell out of the canopy. Didn't have the option of falling the other walnut(s) it was hung in... would have gone in the road with the lean. Luckily after removing 10' it was light enough to drag from the F350. You did a good job and I learned a lot from this and other vids you do. Thank you and glad all went home safe. Going to get that windlass setup.

"If the tree is leaning, you can't fall it to the side very easily." Challenge accepted!

You guys need some time on a production crew. This sort of thing happens all the time when you are logging. No big deal. Jug both trees and then bump them with a third.

Thanks for sharing your lessons to be learned. Remember in your size up and measuring... Circumference of circumSTANCE,humble pie are not ², it's a round! I've helped many with fixing this exact incidental inconvenience (post and preventative), and your attempts are common denominators that I'd love tutor in person. Not sure of location and scheduling, but outside of fire season is best for me and I'm in the Rogue Valley.

Momentum! Exactly! A branch isn’t really holding all the weight, it’s still attached. If you try to roll a log down a hill and it hasn’t picked up much momentum it can be stopped by the small obstruction.

Have you ever tried Muller Hi-Lift wedges? You can exert a massive amount of pressure with them!

oof , been waiting for an upload patiently, been rewarded... More like this

Good job getting it down safely. Since you asked, I would have tried slash cuts towards the right and back. Since the caught tree needed to drop to the left of the supporting tree, it would make sense to move the but end right and back instead of left and forward. The tensioned line up top could be useful, and the GRCS should be plenty of pull. Another use of rigging would be a bull rope wrapped around the base like a winch drum so the trunk would twist as you pull. This size tree will inevitably pinch a saw, so a DK Slider can be very useful.

One of the best episodes I've watched! Thanks for sharing!

Comments not critisisms.... 1 - Once you commit to an course of action i.e. too dangerous to climb, lets take it at the ground....then makes no sense to propose to climb as a Plan B solution after you have started to make the cut (and increased the risks). I think your original decision was sound considering what you had to work with......(however didn't seem like you considered the rot issue and potential structural compromise with your cut selection, but from rest of video the rot didn't appear to play a larger role in the integrity of the cut area) 2 - Looked like the angle and tension on the winch rope might have potentially been contributing to holding the tree on the stump.....could have loosened tension on guide rope , then attached the snatch block higher on the anchor tree to impart more lateral pull to the felling tree than downward......could also have wrapped the rope clockwise around the felling tree once or twice in a vain attempt to get it to rotate when tension was re-applied (this may not have been possible to do with out compromising the height of your attachment and therefore limiting leverage).

The woke talk had me on the ground laughing 🤣

Another great video. Super glad you let us see the hole job.

Thanks for sharing your experience. A tricky situation for sure. As far as I'm aware laminated root rot is not caused by Armilleria, although they can be found together. Laminated root rot is caused by Coniferiporia, which used to be called Phellinus (gets confusing!).

I like watching when stuff goes wrong better. Anybody can do it when everything goes according to the book

Having owned my own tree business for over 25 years, personally I would’ve put the big rope at the bottom made my notch and pulled the bottom off the stump. Not being critical of the way you did it, that’s just what I would’ve done.

This is why i love this kind of work, I learned how to cut trees doing wildland firefighting. Now I just do it for a career, super exciting when there's enough room to drop a big one! I love feeling the thud.

I think you handled that perfectly. No tree is worth the risk of any of your crew getting injured or worse yet killed. The home owner was awesome. Good job! I have been in similar situations, and I know how nerve racking this can be. You were fortunate to have the ability to cut the trees into an open area, this could have been much worse.

Serious pucker factor on that one. No armchair quarterbacking from me. Great job. Huge balls.

•Hey there is nothing wrong with this video! You have this channel to show your tree work. And some trees are much more difficult to deal with than others. I have been in your place. •On some similar trees you may be able to cut the tree at the stump then roll it out of the neighboring tree with a peavey. I have rolled a few trees out this way. •Equipment: you might consider getting a peavey. Maybe two. Then you and maybe a helper can cure a hung-up tree situation by rolling the leaning tree out. •As you said, it was a good thing this leaner was against a conifer (excurrent form of tree.) •It was great to see those trees fall together! •I am glad your customer was an open and willing guy. Did he say what he did for the Park Service? They have very few actual foresters (like I was with the US Forest Service). So I would be interested to know what he said. •By the way, if you cared to cut those tall wood spires off the stump and the end of the tree (now a log,) it would look better. [In BC it is required for safety, I am told.] They are called stump pull. •Good video! I am glad you posted it. Thanks.

Definitely appreciate your videos and your gentle and positive attitude. Keep it up.

Absolutely fantastic episode…You guys are my hero

My favorite line: “male into female... wait no. Non binary into gender neutral”🤣🤣🤣

When you stack your wedges; especially three of them, you lose your mechanical advantage. Don't put a second wedge in until you can set it on top of the thick end of an adjacent wedge. You want the sharpest wedge angle. I hope that I am not full of crap!

It was thrilling for me to see! So much suspense. Cliff hanging piece of wood. Good Show with an happy ending and the customer smiling.😅😁

Try this method on a leaning log sometime. It uses three parallel vertical or nearly vertical cuts. Make it from the right side if possible so you can be farther away from the tree. The first cut starts up on the trunk reaching up and cutting downward about a third of the way through nearly vertical. The second is a plunge cut spaced over about an inch and parallel to the first cut through the center. The third cut starts under the log and spaced over about another inch. Saw upward until you pass the plunge cut . The weight of the log will cause it to fail where the three cuts overlap and the log will plunge straight down (QUICKLY). This should free up the connection with the second tree and allow it to fall. If not, you can do it a second time. This is easier to do than it is to explain.