Maybe I Can Get A Grant!

I had the opportunity to help with mopup on a little forest fire last week, just as it was getting dark one evening. This snag was burning, and was leaning into another burning snag. The firefighters on the scene knew that they wanted them down because both trees were very close to their fire line, but were hesitant to start cutting. There was plenty of potential here for a cutter to be hurt, but the process turned out OK, and I think I could sell this as artwork to some museum, judging from some of the modern sculptures I have seen in recent years.

If you are faced with a lodged snag, do not work under it, or try to drop the tree it is leaning against. If you do that, you are the mouse in the trap. The quickest way to take down a tree like this is to make vertical cuts downward, using wedges in the top of the cut to keep the kerf open. Work on the good side of the snag so that if the top comes down it falls away from you, and be poised for a quick exit at the end of every cut. You only have a second or less to be out of the impact zone if a limb drops out of the top when the trunk ka-chunks down. Keep all of the other people on the scene back a safe distance, and remember to re-evaluate the situation and state the plan to yourself before each cut. Dope out snags carefully so that you are on the good side when you turn one loose, whatever type of cut you are using. When the hinge fails, (eventually one will when you cut snags.) you want to be on the good side, and well out your escape route.