Considering side lean

Trees with side lean pose a special problem. In addition to creating a good and bad side of the tree
as discussed earlier, side lean can make it difficult to place a tree exactly where the logger would like it to go. For example, a tree with 5 feet of side lean will actually land 5 feet to the right of where the base of the tree is aimed. This may be enough to cause a tree to hang up or create skid ding problems. Therefore, trees with side lean should actually be aimed in the other direction.

For example, a tree with 5 feet of right side lean should be aimed at least 5 feet to the left of the intended target. However, it has been observed that the hinge weakens as the tree falls and at some point the side lean weight of the tree tends to pull it in that direction. Therefore, a rule of thumb has been developed that says aim the tree an additional 50% of the side lean in the opposite direction. For example, our tree with 5 feet of right side lean must be aimed 7 1/2 feet to the left of the intended target.