Can't speak for other parts of the country, but in New England, the wind can shift quickly and when you are cutting trees, that can get you in trouble quickly. I was cutting trees for the house clearing with a new saw (had already worn out two McCullough saws and finally decided to purchase a Husqvarna chain saw) when the wind shifted and the tree started to go the other (wrong) direction.... I just dropped the saw and started running.... good thing, because that tree came down on the saw and would have taken me out with it. The saw can be replace, but I can't. The saw was fixed inexpensively, but if the tree had hit me, I am sure that I couldn't be put back together any more so than Humpty Dumpty...
Every time that I hear about one of these type accidents, I wonder how much instruction and experience the person had in cutting wood. When I purchased my saw, the person that sold it to me, suggested that if I was going to cut trees, that I start with the very smallest trees and work my way up to the larger ones when I felt that I had enough experience. More than once, a tree would get hung up in the branches of another tree. I never cut trees unless there was someone else there and we always had a spare chain saw and tow chains if needed. I always wore chaps, hard hat with shield, ear protection, long sleeves and gloves. Many thought that this was extreme, but I had seen what happened to a person when the chain broke and hit him in the face.... that was back in 1962 and that person lived with the scars, both physical and mental his whole life. I didn't want to wind up like that. It is when you feel comfortable and let down your guard, that mishaps occure...
