The sixty foot white fir at left had been struggling to stay alive for years, and would have probably lasted another decade, but it was no longer attractive and had threatened several neighbors, including a large Beauty of Littleworth.

The tree was straight, and I was tempted to drop it myself. I had felled much larger trees in the forest, and was fairly confident I could land it in the right spot.

What I couldn't have done is climb the tree and remove branches that would have crushed several rhododendrons, even if the trunck had fallen clear. Norm Pederson reached out and cut the branches first about four feet out and then flush, to reduce their falling mass. He then felled the trunk through a four foot opening onto the lawn.

All the rhodendrons are intact, and will grow fast without competition for water and nutrients. The remainder of the trunk is lying on the narrow path at bottom right in the picture. It was well worth the $100 to have it done by an expert.