Success!

Mike, the neighbors, the neighbors' relatives and Dan the Tree Guy successfully removed the tree from over the Hut, thanks to people with the right equipment and the right experience. The weather was cold but dry. The descriptions below do not adequately reflect the amount of thinking and what-if-ing and problem-solving that went into this process.

First, they decided where to make the cut on the smaller section over the back of the Hut and where to tie off the remainder so that nothing would crash down or ricochet.

This is what the break in the tree over the roof looked like.

Then they figured out how to push out the rest of the tree so it would swing out faster than it would fall down so that it wouldn't smash the porch.

The tree missed the porch with a foot or two to spare!

Even though the roof appears to be intact, some of the cedar shingles are damaged, so a large tarp is secured over the roof until the roofer can do his thing. Dan the Tree Guy will probably come back and take away the tree when he has time. At this point, the tree is not endangering anything so it can sit where it is.