Windstorm on Maple Street made me question my whole climb setup

Last winter a microburst hit a row of mature oaks near the courthouse and I watched a 70 foot limb come down sideways, not with the lean. It got me thinking about whether we over-rely on directional felling cuts when the canopy is uneven. Do you guys adjust your notch angles based on wind patterns or stick to the textbook every time?

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jamiekim1mo ago

Heard a retired logger on a podcast say he always walked the canopy first and cut for the side with the most weight, not the lean, and that stuck with me. Textbook cuts work until the tree disagrees, then you adjust or you get hurt.