Yes, I was thinking of a winch too, as I have some downed ash at the bottom and the sides of a valley I don't have tractor access to. Brought it up to a rigger friend of mine and we just couldn't figure out if it would be strong enough because we don't know the approximate weight of an ash tree!!! But I want to try with a massive one for sure.
Thanks for the suggestion on another New Yorker sawyer!