Felling a Mast Tree

Felling a white pine tree. Smaller trees have been cut and their boughs and trunks laid for a soft landing for the mast tree.

It's hard to imagine trees this size today, and even harder to imagine cutting them down without chain saws. It took sharp axes and strong men.

From the book, New England Masts and the King's Broad Arrow, by Samuel F. Manning, 1979. Illustrations courtesy of the author and illustrator.