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FELLING LARGE TREES
_6inches indiameter orlarger)
enotch m ethod isused tofeIt t arge
trees. Anotch i scutonthe side ofthe
tree inthe desired direction offailAfter
afelling c utismade o nthe opposite
side oftree, the tree will t end tofall i n
the direction ofthe notch.
NOTE: tfthe tree has large b uttress
roots, remove them before making the
notch.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING TREE
• Make n otch c ut b ycutting the top of
the notch f irst. Cut t hrough t/3ofthe
diameter
ofthe tree. N ext complete
the notch b ycutting the bottom. See
illustration,
Once t he notch i scut, r e-
move t he wedge ofwood f rom the
tree.
• After removing
the wood, make t he
felling c ut o nthe opposite side ofthe
notch. This isdone bymaking acut
about two inches higher than the cen-
terofthe notch. This will l eave
enough uncut wood b etween the fell-
ing cutand the notch t oform a hinge.
This hinge w ilt h etp prevent the tree
from failing i nthe wronc d irection.
FinaI cut h ere
First cut 2,'
/
Direotion"
......
cut
ge
Notching
Undercut
- Make the notch
1/3 the diameter
of the tree, perpendic-
ular to the direction
of faIt as illustrated.
Make the lower horizontal
notching cut
first. This wi{t hetp to avoid pinching of
either the saw chain or the guide bar
when the second
notch is being made.
Felling Back Cut - Make the felling
back cut at least 2 inches (50.8ram)
higher than the horizontal
notching
cut
as illustrated.
Keep the felling back cut
parallel to the horizontal
notching
cut.
Make the felling back cut so enough
wood is left to act as a hinge. The hinge
wood heIps the tree from twisting and
falling in the wrong direction.
Do not cut
through the hinge.
As the feeling cut gets close ot the
hinge the tree should
begin to fall. If
there is any chance
that the tree may
not fall in the desired direction
or it may
rock back and bind the saw chain, stop
cutting before the felling back cut is
complete
and use wedges
of wood,
plastic or aluminum
to open the cut and
drop the tree along the desired line of
fail.
When the tree begins to fall remove the
chain saw from the cut, stop the motor,
put the chain saw down, then use the
retreat path planned.
Be alert for over-
head limbs falling and watch your foot-
ing.
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fail.
Opening
of felling
Closing of
notch
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.
• Be alert to signs that the tree is ready
to falt: cracking
sounds, widening
of
the felling cut, or movement
in the up-
per branches.
• As tree starts to fatl, stop saw, put it
down, and get away quickly on your
£1anned retreat path.
• De extremely
cautious with partially
fallen trees that may be poorly sup-
ported. When a tree doesn't falt com-
pletely, set the saw aside and pull
down the tree with a cable winch,
block and tackle, or tractor. Do not
use your saw to cut down a partially
fallen tree.
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
toss of footing and control. Do not stand
downhill of the log being cut.
IMPORTANT
POINTS
• tt is important
to make sure your foot-
ing is firm and your weight is evenly
distributed
on both feet.
When pos-
sible, the tog should be raised and
supported
by the use of limbs, logs or
blocks.
• Cut only one log at a time.
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