Best way to cut down trees?

[Kevin]

I`m not being a smart ass but it ain`t quite that easy.

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/ageng/safety/ae1025w.htm

http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/logging_advisor/mainpage.html

 

[WRW]

Ginger,
OSHA has a site on safe felling: http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/logging_advisor/manual/felling/felling.html
Any good search engine will list several sites. Just search "tree felling" and pick one. There are several good schools available also, though they may teach more to specific groups, like loggers or arborists. Good luck!

 

[Gypo Logger]

Oh hi Ginger, great to see you again,
Falling trees is very simple in theory, however in practice there are many variables that must be considered as well as safety issues if we are to get the tree down safely and where we want it to lay for ease of preparing it for removal from the bush.
Anyway, lets start off with a few basics first. Safety is of paramount concern here. Not only must you have a though knowledge of you saw and it's operation, but you also need the proper personal safety gear. You are off to a good start because you already have the chaps, suspenders and helmet with muffs.
Ok, lets dump an 18" stem together as though I was there in the forest with you for the first time. We take your 044 with a razor sharp chain and 16" bar and make the first cut on a level plane about 10" above ground level approx 6" deep into the wood or 1/3 of it's dia. Because the 16" bar wont clear the 18" trunk, fit the bar back into your established cut and complete it on the other side of the tree. The falling sights on your powerhead come in handy for getting the cut to line up exactly with the direction of intended fall.
Then, with a good eye for square, get your saw back into the tree, but this time on a downward angle that will meet exactly with the back of the last cut you made.
Try to visualize Ginger that you are trying to remove a perfectly sculptured watermelon wedge shaped hunk of wood.
It is important that the back of these two cuts meet exactly at 90 degrees to the intended direction of fall. If not, clean it out with the saw so it does.
Now, establish the backcut approx. 2" above the felling knotch just enough to fit in a wedge or two. Then using this cut as a guide, cut "ears" about 2-3" deep on either side of the tree at 0 degrees to the intended direction of fall. Then you complete the backcut by sawing up to the knotch, perfectly square. You can then drive the wedges to lift the tree or simply blast the tree off the stump with the saw if you are certain that the tree is commited to where you want it to lay.
This is the basic mechanics, but it is dangerous and anything can happen, so try to get help . There is nothing wrong with a longer bar, but the shorter ones dont contact the rocks as much.
If you email me your address, I will send you " The Fallers and Buckers Handbook".
Safety First,
Gypo

 

[Kevin]

Ok, lets dump an 18" stem together as though I was there in the forest with you

John, where are your hands while all this is going on?

 

[Art Martin]

Hi Ginger,
I've been reading the posts on this site recently which seem to welcome you aboard with open arms, and that's good. However, you have to view most of them with tongue-in-cheek.

I have lived in the Sacramento area for 15 years and I don't know of any 60-acre parcels in this county as you describe yours. Maybe you are referring to El Dorado County or Placer County which are adjoining Scaramento County.

In my first career, I was what is referred to as a "West coast faller" in the Fort Bragg/Mendocino county area.We only fell large timber. The smallest Redwood we were allowed to fall had to be at least 6' in diameter at chest height and the Douglas Fir had to be 4' in diameter. When you ask "how to fall a tree," there are many things to consider.

These include: the topography, wind, lean, size of undercut and really important, Move Your Vehicle out of range, etc. My friends Sawracer and Ruppydoggy also live in the area and probably would fall a few trees in exchange for a few practice logs for their racing saws. Just a thought.

Regards, Art Martin

 

[Gypo Logger]

Shut Up Kevin !!!, we dont have that kind of rapoire with Ginger.
John

 

[JimL]

if im clearin, ill just cut from the back of the tree where i want it to fall at say a 45 degree angle down. this is only on trees 8-10" diameter max.

 

[treeclimber165]

Originally posted by JimL
if im clearin, ill just cut from the back of the tree where i want it to fall at say a 45 degree angle down. this is only on trees 8-10" diameter max.

Sorry, but this is about the MOST DANGEROUS way to attempt felling a tree. By the time you get close to finishing your cut, more of the weight is on the backside of your cut. Unless the tree has an extreme angle in line with the direction you are cutting anyway, this is about the best way to pinch your saw and have the tree fall sideways from where you want it.
Every few months, you see some little article in the paper of some uninformed homeowner who dumped a tree on his car/house/kid. The cut you described is virtually always the (wrong) cut used in these stories.
If you want to continue screwing around with chainsaws even you have no clue how to use one, fine. But please don't offer such dangerous, uninformed information as 'advice'.

 

[mryb]

With Gypo around, who needs OSHA?...Rick

Creep on loggin'

 

[JimL]

Originally posted by treeclimber165


Sorry, but this is about the MOST DANGEROUS way to attempt felling a tree. By the time you get close to finishing your cut, more of the weight is on the backside of your cut. Unless the tree has an extreme angle in line with the direction you are cutting anyway, this is about the best way to pinch your saw and have the tree fall sideways from where you want it.
Every few months, you see some little article in the paper of some uninformed homeowner who dumped a tree on his car/house/kid. The cut you described is virtually always the (wrong) cut used in these stories.
If you want to continue screwing around with chainsaws even you have no clue how to use one, fine. But please don't offer such dangerous, uninformed information as 'advice'.

I am sorry you don't like the way I do things, been doin it this way for a long time. I won't do it next to a house, just in the open. Cut thousands this way and rarely pinch,

 

[Kevin]

Jim, it`s a matter of control and safety.
Someone could easily say I`ve been driving drunk for years and rarely get pinched by the cops.
I use prescribed and approved felling procedures on trees as small as three and four inches in diameter.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi there, what JimL has described is known as "stump jumping", and is a recognized means of effectively and speedily bringing down a tree. It is used mainly by tree spacers thinning juvenile stands of conifers. It takes quite a bit of skill and a sharp chain to be fast and productive at it. Softwoods larger than 8" should not be stump jumped because most saws cannot be cut faster than the tree can fall. Example: a West Coast Faller, now deceased thought his 2100CD could cut faster than a 3 ft. cedar could fall with only a back cut. The tree simply barber chaired and drove him into the ground.
This method of falling consists of sawing the tree off the stump on a predetermined upward angle and just as the tree is about to go, and with a slight flick of the wrist the butt end of the tree is flung off the stump backward of its own accord which establishes its direction of fall. Stump jumping is generaly reserved to cutting areas where a lead or face can be established, meaning that the trees are felled in a systematic manner so as not to get hang ups or create a bunch of teepees.
When I worked on the West Coast in imature stands of conifers, I know for a fact that I stump jumped well over 200 acres, possibly 1000,000 stems on steep to flat ground. Once you get good at it, you can have a tree coming off the stump before the last one even hit the ground.
Safety First,
Gyro

 

[chainsawworld]

ginger,
you cannot learn safe tree felling over the net. my class last four days and it is hands-on(lambert will love that) training. you will learn safety,felling, limbing, saw care, well, everthing you need to know. i have looked into many accidents in the woods that left people really messed up or worse. sad part is, these can be avoided. a while back i started a post about safety when a friend of mine got busted up bad. last word is he is still in a coma. BE CAREFUL! marty

 

[chainsawworld]

"stump jumping" also known as "table top" is not a safe practice. open face-bore cutting not only gives you complete controll of the fell but will also hold the stem in place for loping and limbing. marty

 

[Harley]

Check out the safety links on Gypo's webpage.

Gypo's link's

The Husky site is very informative. I think Marty is right though, the best way to learn is from someone else, in person.

Something I didn't see anybody mention. Examine the tree before you even start your saw. Look for anything that could fall on you, any possible problems with it hanging in other trees, and the condition of the tree itself. Rotten wood doesn't make a good hinge.

Also, check this out.
Graphic

Later......

 

[eyolf]

GYpo JOhn and others have detailed some of the procedures, and what can happen if not followed. I personally saw a man die in the woods...literally pile-driven into mush because he didn't know what he was doing.

(<shiverrrrr>):angel:

Take advantage of offers of help, and if Art Martin's friends cant help you out, check around for someone you can hire for a day. Call a reputable saw shop in the nearest town for names and numbers.

It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that an inexperienced operator can be unsafe in the woods, but one that hasn't got the confidence and security can be hazardous too. Be sure you're safe. It would be better to pay a day's wages to a pro, then be injured or killed.

 

[chainsawworld]

harley,eyewolf,
i did not get into any detail because if only part of the information is applied someone could get real hurt. i have seen people make such mistakes as lean on a smaller tree and the top came out of it and broke a collar bone. when i teach Woods And Chainsaw Safety it is all of that. not just felling and bucking. i teach you how to stay alive in the woods. people also learn how to keep their saw at peak proformance. marty

 

[JimL]

I only stump jump when clearin. I do alot of clearin out fence rows. I cut the trees up bout 3.5 - 4 foot off the ground so the dozer can grab them. No need to stump jump timber logs. good way to loose them.

 

[tony marks]

ginger, get somebody to show u the ropes ,as there is much to learn.
i didnt ,an im only alive thru the grace o god.and i aint kiddin.that was 33 yrs ago
and i still learn something new most times i do a job.

 

[crowe]

Ginger,
I would have to agree with most of the guys who answered this thread and say find somebody to help you or do it for you. I would hate to try and guide you through the steps of cutting via this forum. Cutting is a hands on trade. Good luck and be safe. Wade