Loggers: Beware the Chicot Danger Zone

A chicot is a tree that has either become dry or rotten either from normal aging or special conditions such as species extinction, climate, insect infestation, disease or human activity. Chicots present a serious hazard in the woods and need to be treated with respect.   One study showed that when workers were struck by a falling tree, chicots were a contributing factor in more than 20 percent of those cases. These trees are dangerous because they are brittle and unpredictable. A gust of wind, vibration from equipment, a heavy snowfall, or removing nearby trees is often all that is needed for branches to fall suddenly from these trees, causing great harm.