So most of our laurels are destroyed by the ice.  And they are on a slope and under lots of strain.  Very bad conditions for use of a chain saw.  You get much better control using a hand saw, or an axe.  And if you miss, or get it stuck, you are less likely to loose a limb.

Of course, all that being said, I did end up buying a chainsaw because I simply have too many trees to cut up.  Though I still do most of the felling with hand saw and axe, and almost all of the limbing with either an axe or bypass pruners.