So, I got that timber mod working, fwiw. The mod that cuts down the trees, and doesn't kill the server (I hope). Not even close to realistic, but your server won't torment people who try not to leave floating trees behind.
Screenshot not really helpful, since it just alters what an axe does, and if it does its job you don't see anything left over. Would figure out how to make a movie, but meh. Just try it out!
Check it out on github.
Zipfile