That old guy who taught me to read the lean changed my whole approach

Met this retired climber at a removal job in Salem, just watching me from the sidewalk. He didn't say anything for 10 minutes, just stared at this big maple leaning over a garage. Finally he walks up and says "you're gonna fight that trunk bend instead of working with it." I was annoyed at first, but he showed me how the weight was already shifted, and where the natural hinge was on the low side. We ended up taking the top off in three cuts instead of the six I had planned. Now I stop and walk the tree from every angle before I even start my saw. Has anyone else had a stranger give them advice that actually stuck?

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1 Comment

sanchez.blake1mo ago

Funny thing about old climbers, they always spot the lean nobody else sees. It's like they got x-ray eyes from years of falling out of trees. But here's something nobody brings up. That natural hinge trick works even better on deadwood than live wood. The compression side crumbles way faster than you expect. So if you ever get a dead leaner, factor that in before you trust the same cut pattern. Saved me from a sketchy situation last spring when a rotted oak decided to shift mid-cut.