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WORKING TECHNIQUES
26 – English
Finish by cutting from below so that the two cuts meet.
Tree felling technique
Safe distance
The safe distance between a tree that is to be felled and
anyone else working nearby is at least 2 1/2 tree lengths.
Make sure that no-one else is in this ”risk zone” before or
during felling.
Felling direction
The aim is to fell the tree in a position where you can limb
and cross-cut the log as easily as possible. You want it to
fall in a location where you can stand and move about
safely.
Once you have decided which way you want the tree to fall
y
ou m
ust judge which way the tree would fall naturally.
Several factors affect this:
• Lean of the tree
• Bend
• Wind direction
• Arrangement of branches
• Weight of snow
• Obstacles within the reach of the tree: for example,
other trees
, po
wer lines, roads and buildings.
• Look for signs of damage and rot in the stem, this
makes it more probably that the tree will break and
start to fall before you expect it to.
You may find you are forced to let the tree fall in its natural
direction because it is impossib
le or dangerous to try to
make it fall in the direction you first intended.
Another very important factor, which does not affect the
felling direction b
ut does affect your safety, is to make sure
the tree has no damaged or dead branches that might
break off and hit you during felling.
The main point to avoid is letting the tree fall onto another
tree
.
It is very dangerous to remove a trapped tree and
there is high accident risk. See instructions under the
heading Freeing a tree that has fallen badly.
Clearing the trunk and preparing your retreat
Delimb the stem up to shoulder height. It is safer to work
from the top down and to have the tree between you and
the saw.
Remove any undergrowth from the base of the tree and
check the area f
or obstacles (stones, branches, holes,
etc.) so that you have a clear path of retreat when the tree
IMPORTANT! It takes a lot of experience to fell a tree.
Inexperienced users of chain saws should not fell trees.
Do not attempt any task beyond your experience level!
IMPORTANT! During critical felling operations, hearing
protectors should be lifted immediately when sawing is
completed so that sounds and warning signals can be
heard.