During an episode of "SOS-Survival" Creek Stewart had occasion to tie a rope around a tree to serve as an anchor for extracting a snowmobile from a stream. He used a timber hitch, stating that this was the strongest possible knot.
High angle rescue teams these days seem to favor the
”tensionless hitch” to tie a rope to a tree. The tensionless hitch is clained to retain 100% of rope strength. However, it will not stay in place without a load.