Abstract: Employee #1 was cutting timber in a previously burned area and set his fuel, oil, and equipment at the base of a large oak tree. He was felling trees both up- and downslope of the oak and had just cut a large cedar tree located approximately 30 feet downhill from the oak. Employee #1 was standing at the base of the oak smoking a cigarette when a limb fell out of the tree, hit him on his safety cap, and killed him. The limb was approximately 25 to 30 feet long and about 6 to 7 inches in diameter, hollow and burnt on the inside. It is not known what caused the limb to fall, although vibrations from the nearby tree cutting operation and the decayed state of the wood may have contributed. There were no witnesses to this accident and no accident-related violations were observed or cited.