Man returned, chopping a tree (3)
I believe the answer is:
elm
'tree' is the definition.
(elm tree is a kind of tree)
'man returned chopping a' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'man' could be 'm' and 'm' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'el' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
(Other definitions for elm that I've seen before include "Source of timber" , "Perennial plant" , "I branch out" , "Tall shade tree" , "Source of wood" .)