Seventy-four-year-old Bryan Munro was killed instantly when a tree he and a friend were felling unexpectedly pivoted on its axis and crushed the retired engineer. An ambulance was called to the scene, but the long-time Yandoit

resident had already died from head and chest injuries.

Mr Munro and a friend, a 55-year-old Yandoit man, were felling three trees, about nine metres high and one metre in diameter, when the accident happened at the man's semi-rural property in Casley Lane, a limestone road between

Yandoit and Guildford.

Daylesford police Senior Constable Simon Barker described the incident as a "freak accident".

Sen Con Barker said the first two trees fell in a the planned easterly direction, but the third pivoted from the base of the tree and fell in a westerly direction about 5.25pm.

"He was extremely unlucky, there was calm conditions, no wind, it was just one of those tragic things," Sen Cons Barker said.

His friend escaped injury after dodging the tree.

Sen Const Barker said a coroner's report on the non-suspicious death was prepared on Monday.