Chris Weber Solo Tree Surgeon

Tricky one earlier today down by the river. This customer had a really dead locust that was lodged up in another tree, leaning over the road and threatening the roadway. Power lines to the left coming into the driveway so I couldn't drop it that way so had to set it down in the roadway. Quiet road so one of the homeowners stayed in the road to stop any cars just in case one came through. I was hoping to be able to push this one over with wedges figuring the small branches that it was lodged in would bend and let it fall, rolling it slightly to the left as it fell which would help it avoid the mailbox. Unfortunately it was lodged too tight, and the branches didn't give so I had to literally force it over with wedges. I instantly regretted my deep notch and wished I'd left more shelf space. Almost got it to go forward but the branches holding it up wouldn't let go so I cut a small sloping dutchman to the left and pushed it off the stump with a wedge, which kept it perpendicular to the road and let it fall forward with a perfect landing right alongside the mailbox.

Simple takedowns of two dead lodged hickory's. Both were dead and had canopy damage and the first one was partially lodged (meaning one side was free) up high in other trees and the second one was resting on another. Biggest danger with these sorts of trees is the butt kicking out and striking the faller. Also branches coming down from higher up as the tree shifts in its entrapment which according to OSHA is the highest killer of professional fallers. These are fairly simple for me, I've done a few hundred of them but you really want to watch playing around with lodged or hung up trees.

Slowly releasing stress on a dangerously stressed hickory for a customer earlier today. Trees like this are the most common killers of inexperienced fallers. Its not just a matter of walking up to the tree and cutting, you have to know where to cut, when to cut and when to step out of the way.

My GoPro malfunctioned and I only got a few moments up in the Bradford Pear chunking it down after removing most of the top.

Straight forward fall of a tall tree of heaven. In Virginia the VA Dept of Forestry is advising taking down Trees of Heaven due to the spotted lantern fly.

Recently Ported 5 year old Echo CS 590 with 24 inch bar bucking a very large red maple.

Coming up on 5 years heavy use and abuse on this old 590 and decided this weekend to port it out to give it a little bit more pull. I plan on upgrading my saw soon but wanted to give this old boy a little more life. Tested it out first time this morning on the remainder of the big red maple I took down last week for a client. Took me three different approach angles but I tore through the main junction of the canopy base with no problem.

Last few minutes taking down a large maple earlier today, last tree on this job. Tree was leaning hard to the power pole and lines to the left. Pole has a transformer on it so I put it down tight alongside the fence on the opposite side. Brushes the fence a little but I wanted it that tight, in fact i told the customer it would. There was no way I wanted it falling over into its lean and pulling that transformer down.

Large pin oak with back lean towards the power lines and a lot of canopy weight high up over them. 20 ton jack a lot of wedging put it down on target.

Light work yesterday taking down a little pignut hickory.

Taking down a big tall straight Pin Oak next to the power lines earlier today. Fighting wind and a canopy lean towards the power line with a lot of canopy weight up high so had to put a jack to it and a lot of wedging but went fine, sat it down right between the fence posts.

Jacking over a large diseased Black Cherry against the canopy lean and away from the house earlier today. Ended up jacking into rotten wood and so the tree ate my jack-wedge and I had no choice but to let the jack go over with the tree. Tough jack, still works.

Taking down 3 moderate sized maples on a windy day. Only trick was the wind and keeping them off the power lines. Feels like September already...

Taking down another very large Pin Oak next to the power lines earlier today.

Releasing the top from the trunk in one shot is always fun.

Releasing tension on the limbs fast and loose.

Video of the take down of this big oak next to the power lines earlier today. Trick was to keep it off the power lines behind me and off the fence posts.

TBT 4 years ago, topping down a diseased wasp infested Weeping Willow at Linda Tripps residence. I originally never published this publicly to protect her privacy. I took down several trees for her that summer. She was a nice lady, very friendly and a good customer to work for.

Took down this tall but slender White Oak this afternoon. These tall skinny ones are tricky, there's not a lot of shelf space to work with so makes them hard when there's a house involved. For this one I installed my 12 ton Pittsburgh and used that to lift and point the leader I was removing in the direction I wanted it to go in, then removed the remaining holding wood and let it go.

I enjoy days like this with some simple straight forward felling in a wooded environment. I'm at home in the forest. I guess that's why I live in one.

Last couple minutes of jacking over that big dead Black Cherry tree earlier today. It wanted to fall into the fence and onto the road. Trick was to jack it against the back lean and keep it along side of one I dropped earlier without hitting the fence.

Sending a large top on an eastern white pine earlier today. If you're wondering why I left those two upper limbs one on each side just below the top, its so I don't have to slam wedges so hard when its time to put the trunk over. They're slightly to the front so they help pull it over in a balanced fashion No rope on this one, just 2 flip lines because I don't like getting my ropes covered in all the pine sap.

Still using my budget saw, my Echo CS590, 5 years later. I should upgrade but to date I haven't met a tree that it couldn't handle. Takes a little longer on the bigger ones but it still slices and dices them. Some day I'll upgrade.

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative lending a hand this morning, taking down lines to a customer home so I could drop two trees , a black cherry that was over the house and threatening both the house and power lines coming in as well as the parking area, and a dead ash right next to it threatening the power lines and drive. Makes my life so easy, no climbing just chop and drop. 2 trees. Down, cut and stacked in 2 hours. Home by 10:30. Easy money.