As you can see, sight distance was minimal today due to fog. This birch tree snapped in half during a winter storm in December and was in a very dangerous spot. We didn't feel comfortable cutting this down. In these cases, the weight and branches can respond in unexpected ways once the trunk is cut with a saw. This can be extremely dangerous and it's my policy that when we have a situation like this, we call in the experts so no one gets hurt or worse. Even the pros were suspect how it would react and therefore climbed the trunk of the tree that was left to be able to make the cut from above. Of course, it was on the ground is 7 minutes or less, where our staff could safely chip the limbs and debris. When you hear about workers being killed while using a chainsaw, I would guess 90% plus of those cases are a result of this exact scenario. Lack of situational awareness and lack understanding of the pressure points of a fallen tree can lead to an amateur not being in the correct spot. When the tree releases from the trunk, it acts as if it's spring loaded and you don't want to be on the receiving end of that log. It happens all too quickly. The lesson here is that there is no tree worth removing immediately, that can't wait for it to be done safely.