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Natural conditions that can cause a tree to
fall in a particular direction include:
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The wind direction and speed.
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The lean of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or
sloping terrain. Useaplumb orlevel tode-
termine the direction of tree lean.
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Weight and branches on one side.
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Surrounding trees 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 s ure there i s enough room for the tree
to fall. Maintain a distance of
2-1/2
tree
lengths from the nearest person or other ob-
jects. Engine noise can drown out awarning
call.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, sta-
ples, and wirefromthe treewhere cutsareto
be made.
Plan a clear retreat path to the rear anddiag-
onal to the line of fall.
Direction of Fall
45
_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used t o fell large trees.
Anotch iscut onthe sideof thetree inthede-
sired direction of fall. After a felling cut is
made on the opposite side of tree, the tree
will tend to fall into the notch.
NOTE:
If the tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING THE
TREE
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Make notch cut by cutting the top of the
notch first. Cut through
1/3
of the diameter
ofthe tree. Nextcomplete thenotch bycut-
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut remove the
notch of wood from the tree.
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After removing the cutout of wood, m ake
the felling cut on the opposite 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 thewrong direction.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Final cut here. 2 inches above
center of notch.
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 when necessary to
control thedirection offall. Toavoid kickback
and chain damage, use wood or plastic
wedges, but never steel or iron wedges.
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Be al ert to signs that the tree is ready to
fall: cracking sounds, widening of the fell-
ing cut, or movement in the upper
branches.
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As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it down,
and get away quickly on your planned re-
treat path.
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Be extremely cautious with partially fallen
trees that maybe poorly supported. When
a tree doesn’t fall completely, set the saw
aside and pull down the tree with a cable
winch, block and tackle, or tractor. Do not
cut down a partially fallen tree with your
saw.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucking is the term used for cutting a fallen
tree to the des ired log size.
WARNING:
Donot stand on the l og
being cut. Any portion can roll causing loss
of footing and control. Do not stand downhill
of the log being cut.
IMPORTANT POINTS
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Cut only one log at a time.
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Cut shattered wood very carefully; sharp
pieces ofwoodcould beflung towardoper-
ator.
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Use a sawhorse to cut small logs. Never
allow another person to hold t he log while
cutting and never holdthe logwith your leg
or foot.