SANDPOINT - The Bonner County man who was killed Tuesday in a logging accident north of Kootenai has been identified as Kenneth Frank Schwartz, 63.

Schwartz was clearing cottonwood trees on private property north of Forest Siding Road when snagged woody material from one of them crashed down onto him, Bonner County sheriff's officials said.

"It was a very large cottonwood that split into two about 5 feet off the ground. There was some debris snagged in the V of that, maybe about 8-10 feet up, and it came down on him once the half of that V was felled," said sheriff's Deputy Kurt Lehman.

Lehman said Schwartz was wearing a helmet, but the protection was not enough to ward off the fatal head injury.

"Cottonwoods, having such a high water content - especially in winter - are extremely heavy. There was just a lot of weight that massed in the debris that came down," said Lehman.

Although Schwartz was reportedly working the site with a crew, he was by himself when the debris released. Coworkers discovered Schwartz when they returned to the area where he was working after a brief absence, according to sheriff's officials.

It was not immediately clear Wednesday if the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration will be investigating the accident.

Lehman said the landowner was having cottonwood trees on the Spear Valley property logged to prepare it for sale and development.

Schwartz is being remembered as an avid big game hunter, according to a death notice submitted by Coffelt Funeral Service in Sandpoint. An obituary and information about services were pending on Wednesday.