9
S Remove dirt,stones,loose bark,nails,
staples, and wire from the tree where
cuts are to be made.
Direction of Fall
45_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inche s in diameter or larger )
The not ch m ethod is us ed to fe ll la rge
trees. A not ch i s cut on t he side of the tree
in the desired direction of fall. After a felling
cut is made on the opposite si de of t r ee,
the t ree will tend to fall in the direction of
the notch.
NOTE: If tree has large buttress roots,
removethembeforemakingthenotch.If
using saw to remove buttress roots,
keep saw chain from contacting ground
to prevent dulling of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING TREE
S 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 il-
lustration. Once the notch is cut, re-
move the wedge of wood from tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Final cut here
Hinge
S After r emovi ng t he wood from t he notch,
make the felling cut on the opposite side
of the not ch. Thi s is done by making a
cut a bout two i nches hi gher t han the
center of the notch. Thi s will leave
enough uncut wood between the felling
cut and the notch to form a hi nge . Thi s
hinge will hel p prevent t he tree from fal-
ling in t he wrong di r ecti on.
Opening
of felling
cut
Closing of
notch
Hing e holds tree on stum p and
helps control fall.
NOTE: Before felling cut is complete,
use wedges to open the cut when
necessary to control the direction of fall.
To avoid kickback 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 sounds, widening of
the felling cut, or movement in the up-
per branches.
S As tree starts to fall, stop saw , put it
down, and get away quickly on your
planned r et r eat path.
S
DONOT use you rsaw t ocut dow n a p ar-
tial l y fallen tree. Be extremely cautious
wit h part i all y f al len t rees that may be
poorly supported. When a t r ee doesn’t
fall completely , set saw aside and pull
down tree wi th a c able wi nc h, blo ck and
tackle, or tractor.
CUTTING A FALLEN TREE
(BUCKING)
Bucki ng is the ter m used for cut t ing a fall-
en t r ee to t he desir ed log size.
WARNING: Do not stand on the
log being cut. Any portion can roll caus-
ing loss of footing and control. Do 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 operator.
S Useasawhorsetocutsmalllogs.Nev-
er allowanother person to hold thelog
while cutting and never hold the log
with your leg or foot.
S Do not cut in an area wher e logs, li m bs,
and roots are t angled. Drag logs int o a
clear area before cutti ng t hem by pull ing
out exposed and clear ed logs fi rst.
BUCKING TECHNIQUES
WARNING: If saw becomes
pinched orhung ina log, don’ttryto f or ceit
out .Youcan lose c ontr olof t h e sawresult-
ing in injury and/or damage to the saw .
Stop the saw, drive a wedge of plastic or
wood into the cut unti l t he saw can be re-
movedeasily.Restartthesawandcare-
full y reent er the cut . Do not use a metal
wedge. Do not att empt t o restar t your saw
when i t is pinched or hung i n a log.
Use a wedge to remove pinched saw
Turn saw OFF and use a plastic or
wooden wedge to force cut open.