• Look f ordecay a nd rot. I fthe trunk i s
rotted, itcan snap a nd fall t oward the
operator.
• Make s ure there isenough room for
the tree tofall. M aintain adistance of
2-1/2 tree lengths from the nearest
person orother objects. Motor noise
can drown o ut a warning call.
• Remove dirt, s tones, loose b ark,
nails, staples, and wire from the tree
where c uts are tobemade.
_'_#e Plan aclear retreat path
_, .... U_-
Direction
ofFall
45 °
/,_
FELLING
LARGE TREES
(6 inches in diameter
or larger)
The notch method is used to fell large
trees. A notch is cut on the side of the
tree in the desired direction
of fall. After
a felling cut is made on the opposite
side of tree, the tree will tend to fall in
the direction
of the notch.
NOTE: If tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch.
If using saw to remove buttress roots,
keep saw chain from contacting
ground to prevent dulling of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING
TREE
• Make notch cut by cutting the top of
the notch first. Cut through 1/3 of the
diameter of the tree. Next complete
the notch by cutting the bottom. See
illustration.
Once notch is cut, re-
move the wedge of wood from the
tree.
First cut
_
z'
t Felling cut here
Second out/f /
j
\
_
Hinge
• After removing the wood from the
notch, make the felling cut on the op-
posite side of the notch. This is done
by making a cut about two inches
higher than the center of the notch.
This will leave enough
uncut wood
between
the felling cut and the notch
to form a hinge. This hinge will help
prevent the tree from falling in the
wrong direction.
Hinge
holds tree on stump and helps
control
fall
Opening
of felling
cut
Closing of
notch
NOTE: Before felling cut is complete,
use wedges
to open the cut if neces-
sary to control the direction
of fall. To
avoid kickback and chain damage,
use
wood or plastic wedges,
but never
steel or iron wedges.
• Be alert to signs that the tree is
ready to fall: cracking sounds,
widen-
ing of the felling cut, or movement
in
the upper branches.
• As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it
down, and get away quickly on your
planned retreat path.
• DO NOT use your saw to cut down a
partially fallen tree. Be extremely cau-
tious with partially fallen trees that may
be poorly supported. When a tree
doesn't fall completely, set saw aside
and pull down tree with a cable winch,
block and tackle, or tractor.
CUTTING
A FALLEN
TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a
fallen tree to the desired log size.
_,WARNING:
Do not stand on the
log being cut. Any portion can roll
causing loss of footing and control. Do
not stand downhill of the log being cut.
IMPORTANT
POINTS
• Cut only one log at a time.
• Cut shattered
wood very carefully;
sharp pieces of wood could be flung
toward operator.
• Use a sawhorse
to cut small logs.
Never allow another person to hold
the log while cutting and never hold
the log with your leg or foot.
• Do not cut in an area where logs,
limbs, and roots are tangled. Drag
logs into a clear area before cutting
them by pulling out exposed and
cleared logs first.