A cedar limb nearly took out a client's fence in Portland yesterday

I was doing a standard crown clean on a big Western Red Cedar in a backyard. The drop zone was tight, maybe 15 feet from a wooden fence. I made my notch and back cut on a 6-inch limb, but it hung up on a lower branch I didn't see. It started to swing sideways right toward the fence. I had to quickly run a tag line from my climbing rope to pull it the last few feet clear. It landed about two inches from the posts. Has anyone else had a close call with a hung-up limb in a tight spot, and what's your go-to move to get it down safe?

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1 Comment

grant.parker30m ago

Honestly, my go-to move in that situation is usually to just stand there and stare at it while my heart tries to escape through my throat. Tbh, I've learned the hard way to always have a pull line ready to go before the cut on anything that looks even a little tricky. That slow-motion swing toward something expensive is the worst feeling.