Abstract: Employee #1 was manually felling a 21 in. diameter oak tree. As the tree fell, it kicked back and bounced against the limbs of a previously felled tree that was lying behind it. The butt of the tree shot up into Employee #1's chest, knocked him approximately 10 ft, and then came to rest on top of him. Employee #1 was killed. Several hazards prevailed at the scene: the brush was not cleared away from around the base of the tree; Employee #1 did not plan and clear an escape route; the tree was not notched; and the back cut was made below the plane of the front cut. Employee #1's normal responsibilities were limbing and bucking behind a mechanical harvester.