Widowmaker (forestry)
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In forestry, a widowmaker or fool killer is a detached or broken limb or tree top. The name indicates that such objects can kill forest workers by falling on them, thus "making widows" of their spouses. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration describes widowmakers as "broken off limbs that are hanging freely in the tree to be felled or in the trees close by".[1]
The phrase "widow maker" was first applied to eucalyptus trees by early European settlers logging in Australia. If a limb or tree top fell on a logger, their spouse was widowed.[2]
