now I know...

[thedeeredude]

How to safely fell a tree

http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/531_felling-trees.htm

[beenthere]

I think it is most unfortunate that this guy is loose and making videos...he needs to take the "game of logging" (GOL) course.

[Ron Wenrich]

I think he would be laughed off of most logging jobs. 

Our old friend Steve Nix at About.com has one that a pro logger from Oregon did probably about 10 years ago.  I see he still has that one on his website. 

http://forestry.about.com/od/chainsaws/ss/fell_tree.htm

[WH_Conley]

I loaded one, only one video. He should have a safety disclaimer attached to anything he does.

[zackman1801]

atleast he is not as bad as Bob. this guy scares me...big time!

i get a laugh each time i watch that....then i get scared thinking about how many stupid people will die because of this guy...they should really filter out some of the useless crap that makes it on youtube.....then again it wouldent exist.

[Mike_Barcaskey]

I don't know what to say 

[Kevin]

GF Beranek has three excellent videos out called 100 trees, old growth and second growth.
Each of these are about two hours in length.
Large redwoods from the West Coast, felling, limbing, bucking and trucking.
EXCELLENT!

[metalspinner]

My wife is in sales for the DIY Network.  Several months back, she called me because she had a feeling that something should not be done that was in the works with an advertiser and the network.  In short, they wanted to do an episode on removing a tree... a dead tree.  After I explaned to her the many things that could kill or mame the production crew, the host, and the home owner - not to mention putting "edited for time" info out there, they decided to nix the show.  I did not know that I was on speaker phone with a couple of V.P.'s at the network, BTW.  I guess they wanted my real "unedited" version of what could go really wrong.    We must keep in mind that when watching these type of video's, that advertising dollars are driving these things, not the need to disperse real information.

That Bob Villa clip is a perfect example of what a production company would draw up.  Unfortunatley, Bob didn't have the common sense to know any better.

[Rocky_J]

Kevin,
Actually, Jerry Beranek has about a dozen videos out, plus a couple books. He's also currently working on a training video which will be along the lines of Arbormasters or GOL (except I think Jerry's will be much better). The training video will be out next year, but his other videos are all available on his website www.atreestory.com
(I hope I'm not sounding like a salesman, but I have almost all of his videos and they are great!)

[Woodhog]

I am no great expert on falling trees but how can he operate a chainsaw with no head and face protection, every week I usually get something on the head or chips, branches etc bouncing off the face screen.
He is there talking about widow makers and has no hard hat on while working.

Amazing 

[jokers]

Neither of those guys have anything on this self proclaimed expert who is in the business of taking money for his unskilled felling.
http://www.youtube.com/v/6JB29yiysVg&hl=en&fs=1

[thedeeredude]

Jokers, other than the obvious of no safety gear and horribly uneven backcut, can you point out the things done incorrectly in that video.  Thanks.

[Mike_Barcaskey]

he doesn't use the felling sight on the saw properly
you should make your top angle cut first then your bottom flat cut on the notch
and he doesn't have a grasp of what hinge properties "steer" the tree

but I wouldn't call him unskilled, he's much better than most that I have seen

[jokers]

Hi deeredude,

Here is a list of things that jumped out at me and some of the things I didn`t like were a recurring theme. I exchanged a few emails with this guy and asked him to revise or remove what I consider to be an overall dangerous tutorial, where upon he called me everything but human and would not discuss the specific items that I addressed with him. He also has an extremely cavalier attitude about PPE and how insurance will cover his mistakes should he land a tree on a customer`s house, read his comments and you`ll see. It bothers me that this guy purports to be a professional and is showing others how to fall a tree. Others who might not be as lucky.

Here`s my quick list, admittedly some of this is my opinion but I believe that my opinion is generally based on standard convention, our friend Dave offered no explanation where he diverged from convention.

First.....

A notch 1/3 of the way through the typical tree is way too big and leads to a hinge that is too wide and a center of gravity biased toward the actual COG of the unnotched tree.

The bottom cut of his notch is horribly uneven which sets him up for a dutchman that can throw the stem as the hinge closes.

Checks his sight line backwards and there is no indication that he has taken offset into account.

The goofy twig trick. Too fraught with potential for error and unneeded if he started the face cut from one corner of the bottom cut and fulcrummed his way around.

He gave a nice demonstration of his lack of finesse with the saw, he had an awful hard time starting the face cut and he looks like a real beginner with a saw.

He bogs the saw like crazy, no wonder he burnt up a clutch on a two month old saw.

@4:28 when he removes the wedge from the face you can clearly see where he cut too deep on the bottom cut on the left hand side as we look at it, creating another dutchman. He has now set himself up for a potential double dutchman on that side.

You cannot accurately assess the direction of fall by stepping back and looking into the notch, too much potential for parallax and you lose the benefit of looking down the intended fall path for obstacles and things that you don`t want to smash.

He mistakenly describes the step in the felling cut as the hinge but even 3 inches might not be enough considering the way that he made such an unlevel bottom cut, especially if his intended students were felling trees with limbs on them..

He used a rope on a delimbed tree in an area big enough to land a 747, he does apparently have enough experience to know that he can`t trust his felling ability. The fact that he only delimbed the tree but didn`t chunk it down using ropes tells me that either he doesn`t appreciate that a longer spar has much more potential for damage to structures, landscaping, and people. That he doesn`t know how to use a rope for anything but pulling on, or that he just doesn`t care what may happen.

Bogged the saw horribly at 6:20.

Goofing off on the "bad" side of the tree at 6:25 AFTER the back cut is well established. Almost too bad that it didn`t slab on him just to see his reaction.

7:26, cuts off the corner of the hinge where he`s already established two dutchmen, further increasing the probability that the tree will swing or jump to the left of the stump as it falls, toward the house BTW.

At 7:30 you can see that in reality he has very little hinge, without someone pulling on that rope he little assurance of where the tree may have gone.

At 7:35 you get a view of the house to the left of the stump(and where they pulled the stem) and the bushes to the right, why did he "intentionally" create that crappy notch that would want to steer the tree toward the house?

7:43 He states that ideally the bottom cut would be parallel, so what kept him from making the "ideal" cut for this demonstration that he created?

8:05 He lies about cutting the corner off the hinge saying that he did that intentionally to steer it, why would he steer it toward the house and have someone pull it the other way, toward the bushes?

It`s my opinion that this guy isn`t skilled enough to be making demo videos as a purported expert. I`ll be back to read everyone`s comments and I know that if a person is critical, as I have been, that I should expect some critical commentary directed toward me. Send it. I`ve got thick skin and callouses on my behind, but make sure that your making sense or I won`t be the only fool. 

[beenthere]

jokers
I thought you covered the bases (his mistakes) quite well.

A flub I noticed that almost got him, was when the bar tip caught in the back cut..near had the tree roll a new tip for him.

I can see my GOL instructor giving this guy very few, if any, points for proper felling technique.  

He had a knee that ought to thank him for not having a saw chain kick back into it.

[woodsrunner]

Good critique, Jokers.  I have a good friend who once told me (after a run in with the IRS) " they can chew on you, but, they can't eat you!!

[jokers]

Thanks for the positive comments thus far. Admittedly it`s easy to be an armchair quarterback while watching someone else work but those things all jumped out at me and I found it disturbing. I don`t make a habit of telling people that their videos need help or aren`t safe.

beenthere, I also noticed where he just wouldn`t stop cutting as she fell. I figured he didn`t want any fiber pull and that`s why he nipped his hinge too. 

[ID4ster]

If I ever tripped out a tree with his methods and left a stump like he does I'd hope that I'd have enough sense to commit Hari-Kari with my chainsaw to expunge the shame of doing a job like that one.

[thedeeredude]

This video series from progressive farmer looks much better.


Thanks for the rundown jokers.  Most of that stuff isn't immediately visible to beginners like me and that dude is parading around like a tree surgeon.  He's lucky he didn't get hurt or take out the house.  Any books in particular anyone recommends?  I was looking at Professional Timber falling by Dent and the Fundamentals of Tree Work, I forget who wrote it.  I would like to get into the Game of Logging, I'm just waiting till they have one closer to where I live.

[WH_Conley]

I will have to hand it to the guy. He got the tree on the ground and nobody got hurt. Have seen a lot of nasty stumps before.

[Rocky_J]

thedeerdude,
The book you mentioned, 'The Fundamentals of General Tree Work' was written by Jerry Beranek. It's a bit dry but packed full of good information. His website is linked in my earlier post above, or the book can be ordered through most arborist supply houses.

[jokers]

thedeerdude,
The book you mentioned, 'The Fundamentals of General Tree Work' was written by Jerry Beranek. It's a bit dry but packed full of good information. His website is linked in my earlier post above, or the book can be ordered through most arborist supply houses.

Beranek is generally recognized as an expert and I`ve always heard good things from knowledgable people on his book. The Dent book is jam packed with good info and it is written in layman`s terms, I`ve read it and recommend it. I`ll take Rocky`s word for good on the Beranek book.