Chipped a 40 foot pine on a lean last Thursday, glad I walked it twice

I mean, everyone says to check the lean twice before you cut, but this one felt pretty straight at first glance. Last Thursday morning, I dropped a 40 foot pine off River Road and the crown ended up closer to the neighbor's fence than my rope math said it would be. I walked the lean line again from the base and realized the trunk had a slight bend that only showed from one side. Managed to pull it with the truck and spare block, but it got me thinking about how fast my eye can lie to me after 10 years in this trade. Has anyone else had a tree look fine from the road but sketchy from the stump?

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1 Comment

jana_hill2729d ago

man that's exactly the kinda thing that keeps me up at night. been there with a white oak last spring, looked dead straight from the driveway but from the stump side it had this wicked sweep that changed everything. the ground angle was lying to me too, made the lean look way less than it was. luckily I had a buddy with a winch on standby, but it was way too close for comfort. good call walking it twice, that's the kind of habit that saves you from a real bad day.