Leaning, Decayed Maple Beside a Garage and a School Route

Do not proceed with conventional felling. Work through it:

• Lean geometry. A 6° lean over 21 m displaces the top by 21 × sin 6° ≈ 2.2 m before any cutting. The garage is 14 m away, so a controlled fall would still clear it - but only if the fall direction is genuinely controllable, which is the problem.
• The hinge is compromised. A conk at the base plus a hollow sound on the west side means the tension-side wood where the hinge must form is likely decayed. The hinge is the only steering mechanism in a felling cut; if it is rotten, the tree can sit back, barber-chair, or twist off the stump. A winch cannot substitute for a sound hinge and can accelerate a split.
• Wind. Gusts to 35 km/h from the west-southwest, roughly the direction of lean, are outside the conditions in which felling should be attempted. Most felling guidance calls for stopping in strong or gusting wind; a defective tree makes that threshold lower, not higher.
• Exclusion zone. Two tree lengths is about 42 m. That radius exceeds the property and takes in a public sidewalk on a school bus route at 18 m and the conductors at 7 m on the east. There is no way to have a cleared 42 m zone here.
• Equipment mismatch. A 45 cm bar against a 60 cm diameter means the back cut must be made from both sides. In a decayed butt, mismatched cuts are how trees go the wrong way.

Decision: no conventional felling. Re-scope the job as a controlled sectional removal with a written plan, or hand it to a certified arborist or crane-assisted operation.

Method: sectional dismantling from the top down with rigging, on a documented plan.

1. Pre-work. Confirm the decay extent with a probe or increment core at the butt and, ideally, a resistograph or arborist assessment. Establish the safe working zone, brief the crew, and confirm communications. Confirm whether the 12 kV line needs to be de-energised, covered, or worked around under the utility's rules - do not assume.
2. Access and anchor. The climber ascends and sets a second, independent tie-in point above the working position, with the primary in the union above; the rigging anchor is separate from the life-support anchor and rated for the loads. Use a lowering device with a friction wrap rather than hand-holding pieces.
3. Take the crown in small pieces. Estimate each piece's weight before cutting against the rope's and anchor's capacity - the top wood of silver maple is brittle and limbs can shatter. Cut pieces small enough to be controlled on the lowering line and to avoid shock-loading the anchor. Do not free-drop onto the garage roof.
4. Work down the stem in sections. Keep the climber above the cut, use a rigging sling or spider leg for balance, and never stand below a piece being released.
5. The last few metres. Only if the butt wood proves sound at the final cut can the stem be felled; otherwise continue sectioning. If it is felled, use the winch only as a steadying line on a sound hinge, with the pull line set and the escape route cleared and walked beforehand.
6. Crane option. Given the decay, the conductor and the tight access, a crane-assisted removal or a remote-controlled grapple may be cheaper and safer than rigging every piece. Cost that before committing.

Minimum saw specification: a saw with a bar at least as long as the final stem diameter - 60-70 cm - or a two-sided cut made with care at the base; a 45 cm bar is acceptable for the upper sections but not for the butt. Carry a spare chain and wedges, and keep the saw's chain brake checked before each ascent.

Traffic and public:

• A traffic control plan coordinated with the local roads authority for the school bus route; schedule around bus runs or arrange a temporary stop. Failure mode: a bus or child entering the drop zone during a rigging release.
• Close the sidewalk and post a spotter at each end. Failure mode: pedestrians walking under a suspended load.
• Establish the work zone at 2× tree height where possible (42 m here) and at minimum a defensible boundary around the actual drop and rigging arc, with barrier tape and signage. Failure mode: the assumed fall or swing radius being too small.

Utility:

• Contact the 12 kV owner before work; arrange cover-up, a hold-off, or an outage, and observe the utility's minimum approach distances for the voltage class. Failure mode: limb or rope contact with an energised conductor, which can kill through the rope.
• Treat all lines as energised until the utility confirms otherwise in writing.

Crew and equipment:

• Documented job briefing covering the plan, roles, signals, escape routes and stop-work authority for every crew member. Failure mode: nobody willing to call stop when the wind picks up.
• PPE: chainsaw helmet with face shield and ear protection, safety glasses, chainsaw chaps meeting the relevant standard, cut-resistant gloves, and steel-toe boots for everyone inside the zone; a trauma kit and a means of calling EMS on site. Failure mode: the most common serious injuries are to the left leg and hand.
• Wind monitoring: an anemometer at the tree, with a written stop threshold. Failure mode: a gust during a back cut.
• Chipper discipline: feed from the side, never reach into the chute, no loose clothing or drawstrings, chain the chipper, keep the public clear of the discharge. Failure mode: entanglement and ejection.
• Reporting and stop-work: any unexpected decay, cracking sounds, root plate movement, or change in wind means stop, come down, and re-plan. The foreman's authority to stop is not negotiable.