Ecological Restoration Services 

Crap, I think. How am I going to get to that sweet clover plant? I’m balancing on about a 55-degree slope below a chest-high vertical sandstone bench, and the plant is located on a second sandstone bench roughly eight feet above my head. It’s going to take too much time to scamper back and take the ravine cut up the ridge, I analyze. I need to find some hand holds and climb straight up. My eyes scour the brittle sandstone and find a couple of well-placed American bittersweet

With idling chainsaw in hand, I step back and inspect my work: My escape route is open, face and plunge cuts well-formed, tree hinge shaped correctly, felling wedges in place - all looks good. My eyes sweep the work area for one last check to ensure all is clear. Satisfied, I saw through the “holding” wood, releasing the tree from the stump below. Nothing moves. I whack the largest felling wedge with a small sledge hammer. Still nothing. I wallop the wedge again and hear a so