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S The wind dir ection and speed.
S The lean of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or
sloping terrain. Usea plumb o rlevel tode-
termine the direction of tree lean.
S Weight and branches o n one side.
S Surrounding tr ees and obstacles.
Look for decay and rot. If the trunk is rotted,
it can snap and fall toward the operator.
Check for broken or dead branches which
can fall on you while cutting.
Make sure there is enough room for the t ree to
fall. Maintain a distance of
2-1/2 tree l engths
from the nearest person o r other objects. En-
gine noise can drown out a warning call.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, sta-
ples, andwirefrom thetree wherecuts areto
bemade. Plana clear retreatpathto therear
and diagonal to the line of fall.
Direction of Fall
45_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches (15 cm) in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to f ell large trees.
A notchis cuton thesideofthe treeinthede-
sired direction of fall. After a felling cut is
made on the opposite side of tree, the tree
will tend to fall into the not ch.
NOTE: If the t ree has large buttress r oots,
removethembeforemakingthe notch. If us-
ing saw to r emo ve but tress roots, keep saw
chain fromcontacting groundtopreventdull-
ing of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING THE
TREE
S Make notch cut by cutting the top of the
notch first. Cut through
1/3 of the diameter
ofthetree. Nextcompletethe notchby cut-
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut remove the
notch of wood from the tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Final (felling) cut here, 2 inches
(5 cm) above center of notch.
Hinge
S After removing the wood from the notch,
make the felling cut on the opposite side of
the n otch.This is doneby making a cut about
two inches (5 cm) higher than the center of
the notch. This will leave enough uncut wood
between t he felling cut and t he notch to f orm
a hinge. This hinge will help prevent the tree
from falling in the wrong direction.
Opening
of felling
cut
Closing of
notch
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fall
NOTE: Before felling cut is complete, use
wedges to open the cut if necessary to
controlthedirectionoffall. Toavoidkickback
and chain damage, use wood or plastic
wedges, but never steel or iron wedges.
S Be alert to signs that the tree is ready to
fall: cracking s ounds, widening of the fell-
ing cut, or movement in the upper
branches.
S As tr eestarts to fall, stop saw, put it down,
and get away quickly on your planned re-
treat path.
S DO NOT cut down a partially fallen tree
with your saw. Be extremely cautious with
partially fallen trees that may be poorly
supported. When a tree doesn ’t fall com-
pletely,set thesaw asideandpull downthe
tree with a cable winch, block and tackle,
or tractor .
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term u sed for cutting a fallen
tree to the desired log size.
WARNING: Donot stand on thelog
being cut. Any portion can roll causing los s
of footing and control. D o not stand downhill
of the log being cut.
IMPORTANT POINTS
S Cut only one log at a time.
S Cut shattered wood very carefully; sharp
pieces of wood could be flung toward opera-
tor .
S Use a sawhorse to cut small logs. Never
allow another person to hold the log while
cutting andneverhold thelog with your leg
or foot.
S Do not cut in an area where logs, limbs,
and roots are tangled such as in a blown
down area. Drag the logs intoa cleararea
before cutting by pulling out exposed and
cleared logs first.
TYPES OF CUTTING USED FOR
BUCKING
WARNING: If saw becomes
pinched or hung in a log, don’t tr y to force it
out. Youcanlosecontrol ofthe sawresulting
in injury and/or damage to the saw. Stop the
saw,driveawedgeofplastic orwoodintothe
cut until thesaw can be removedeasily . Re-