This is a video I made a few days after it was filmed but at the timed didn't want to post because of the multiple mistakes I made while working. And looking back on it, I don't think there was a right or wrong way of doing things. Hindsight is always 20/20...
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Bottom to top this tree was roughly 60-70' high, and probably just as wide if I measured the diameter of the drip edges. No way I could do anything "conventional" with it. And yes, a top handle would've been much better for this application, problem is I don't own a top handle haha.
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Explanations:
At 9:15 I make the call to take down the top stems rather than try dropping it in one whole piece. Hopefully me explaining the different factors with the wind and the limbs made sense. At 10:25 I rip between two of the stems to allow the one I'm about to fall to get a little more leverage. I totally missed my face cut on the first try, but after beaverin a bit I got the face open enough for my liking. I wanted that stem to pop off the stump without the possibility of it kicking in a bad direction (like rolling off onto my leg), hence that open face. At 14:06 I cut down what's left of the stem I just cut to prep to cut the next one. Just like the last, I want to cut it as far down the trunk as possible to help leverage it over, especially in the wind. At 15:20 you can see me struggle to work out how I should put in my back cut. Unfortunately because of the shape of the tree and the placement of the backcut, I couldn't get my dogs to bite, leaving me with no choice but to leverage the saw against my body while my support hand was holding on to the tree to keep me from falling. It should be very VERY obvious why this isn't advisable. At 15:35 I slip while trying to reposition my feet. Pitch was starting to seep up my platform cuts. Yes pitch is sticky, but it can be surprising slick under certain conditions. At 16:30 I make the decision to drop both remaining stems at the same time because they were limb tied. Unfortunately this then gives me no protection from the wind blowing them back, but nevertheless. I again had to leverage the saw against my gut to put the back cut in so my support hand coule hand in the tree, ans at 17:30 you can catch me releasing the chain brake with my belt... pretty slick id you ask me. My back cut on the middle stem ended up catching my chain and kept me from being able to put a back cut on the second stem (if you cun enough, you know what I mean) so I ended up putting a second one below the first and below my face. At 18:44 I figure it's time to start wedging. The whole process is very painful to watch (skip to 22:00 if you want), mainly because I couldn't get a full swing without falling out of the tree, so I had to tap, tap, taparoo. At 20:20 I decide to criple cut the left stem to hopefully help me a bit. 22:23 is when she falls