After a summer of savage wildfires in the province, we took a closer look at the massive trees swaggering close to our roof and decided, for safety sake, to cut a few down.

The first call was to Houston local Gerry Vanderwijk, who seemed to enjoy falling a troublesome cottonwood giant on our property years before. But after 42 years of falling trees in the Bulkley Valley, Gerry informed us he is out of the business. In fact, he has to look for a new profession, and not by choice.

While working in the bush, something broke free from the forest canopy above and crashed down on Gerry's neck and back. A punctured lung, broken shoulder, busted ribs and 5 vertebrae are his permanent reminder that these "widowmakers" don't always get their faller.

Gerry's wife, Diane, says that another inch either way and her husband would have lost the fight. "When I heard that, my legs turned to rubber." It's the first accident Gerry ever had. And it would be his last. At the age of 59, Gerry is uncertain of his future but he is certain he will never return to falling trees in the bush.