Situation Specific.
Block with logs across to bridge force over. Use solid log to transfer and spread out the shock, on ground only, not on drive. WideFace cut with high/high leverage pull (i think fishing pole technique/ovder the hill allows this with greater security...)and slower BackCut to force a stronger hinge to maybe hang on 1/2 the ride or more to deliver least amount of force to whatever ground preparations there are to recieve the minimized force of fall. This could essentially, fall it slower, and not let it start free falling for quite a while, most of the force is in the multiplier of the speed. Consider not felling directly into the lean axis, unless the shape of the tree bridges, absorbs shock etc. better on the lean side. Felling to the lean axis would be feeding directly in to the pull of gravity at it's maximum focus, with no 'distracting' pulls.
Never put anything hard (log-shock transferer) on drive, use logs to bridge over, the larger the 'footprint of the log-the farther out it spreads the force. If anything soft brush on the drive to compress, dissipate force, as bending branches, and that excellent tip about making them bendable with undercut. The idea is to leave it stiff enough though, to take the maximum force out of the equation in that bending, so don't make it too easy, by cutting too much. So leave these shock absorbing springs/shearpins to take more force out of the fall, even when they don't nature-ally exist.
i learnt 2 lessons about unseen movement, the harder, more expensive way. The more you use the stump to slow the fall (thru the hinge) or launch tree out; the stronger the stump's anchoring must be to resist the extra load in the hinge and hit. Laid a pine down one very nicely swaying thru some other trees on the way down, then throwing over the water meter, caught on a log butt on the other side. Water everywhere!
! Old codger from city comes out (broke on city side of meter), and eventually showed me how the roots where wrapped around the pipe, and the shifting underground broke the pipe, with out compression from the concussion of the tree falling!! Said he'd only seen it a few times, and it had to be explained to him the first time, by some ol'boy he worked with.....
Another time this sweet elderly lady kept bringing out water and homemade cookies, because she liked being reassured so much that we weren't gonna break her sidewalk; her passage to the world......... So we dutifully took logs from the back side we had rigged down in excess of 24", ~5' long on either side of the walk- chocked the one that could shift towards the walk. Hickory slams down magically floating over the now broken walk, as we tried to figure out if the the tree compressed the logs down and they sprang back up too fast to see or what???? Wiered looking circular break like a stick poked down, and went where? Moving everything, cleaning out the pieces of concrete after the tree was gone revealed a massive loose root in the hole, that came out where the closest log/bridge was and had this massive bruise on top and was compressed into the ground-breaking the cement up from the bottom of the walk !!
Also on that fall there was a lot of weight leanig over the house on the backside of the fall. One of the largest branches halfway up, i rigged to the top of the front side of the fall, and let hang, tlocking it off. So, i din't have to remove as much backweight in the felling, for i now not only removed the back weight at mid leverage, i made it a counter balance frothe rest of the backside weight, and at a higher leverage of pull. Works side to side too, to not just adjust balance of fall across the hinge by removing a limb, but use it as a counter balance too; rigging higher than limbs original connection gives more leverage. Keeping it hanging low and inside keeps it traped from wandering/throwing around, also helps pad shock. Ours have alwasy ended up neatly under the fall, but i always look for possibility of loose piece swinging/throwing of roped piece, and use old rope, just in case! Though it is a rare strategy, it has saved hours of taking out the hardest, riskiest stuff, giving it the power to 'piggyback' down inthe balance. Recycle! i ***** all weight as pulling in 2 directions, from what point of leverage (gives 3 dimensions). Usually one of the directions is target, then balance pulls 90* either way from that, so i have used this on both axises; to the fall and across the fall.
