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thecut, damagetothe bar,chain, or en-
gine can result.
• Release the throttJetriggeeras soon as
the cut is completed, allowing the en-
gine to idle. If you run the saw at full
throttle without acutting _oad,unneces-
sary wear can occur to the chain, bar,
and engine.
• Toavoid losing controlwhen cut is com_
plete,do notputpressureon saw atend
of cut.
• Stop the engine before setting the saw
down after cutting.
TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
_I_WARNING: Check for broken or
dead branches which can fall whi_ecutting
causing serious in ury. Donotcut nearbuild-
ings or electrical wires if you do not know the
direction of treefall, norcut at night since you
will not be ale to see well, nor during bad
weather such as rain,snow, or strong winds,
etc. If the tree makes contact with any utility
_ine, the utility company should be notified
immediately.
• Carefully plan your sawing operation in ad-
vance.
• Cleartheworkarea. Youneedacleararea
all around thetreeSOyou can have secure
footing.
• The chain saw operator should keep on
the uphil_ side of the terrain as the tree is
likely toroll or slidedownhill after it isfelled.
• Study the naturalconditionsth_ can cause
thetree to fall in a particulardirection.
Natural conditions that can cause a tree to
fall in a particular direction include:
• The wind direction andspeed.
• The lean of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or
sloping terrain. Use aplumbor level to de-
termine the direction of tree lean.
• Weight and branches on one side.
• Surrounding trees and obstacles.
Look for decay and rot. Ifthetrunk is rotted,
it can snap and fall toward the operato£
Check for broken or dead branches which
can fall on you whi_ecutting.
Make sure there is enough room for the tree
to fall. Maintain a distance of 2-1/2 tree
_engthsfrom the nearest personor other o1>
jects. Engine noisecan drown out awarning
call.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, sta-
ples,andwire from thetree where cuts areto
be made.
Plan a clear retreat pathto the rear anddiag*
onat to the line of fall.
Plan a clear retreat path
;t*"" "O" "_ - Direction of Fall
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches (15 cm) in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to fell large trees.
Anotch iscut ontheside ofthe tree inthe de-
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: ifthe tree has large buttress roots,
remove them before making the notch. Ifus-
ing saw to remove buttress roots, keep saw
chain from contacting ground topreventdulF
ing of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING THE
TREE
• Make notch cut by cutting the top of the
notch first. Cut through 1/3of the diameter
of the tree. Next complete the notch bycut*
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut remove the
notch of wood from the tree.
Final (feIling) cut here, 2 inches
(5 cm) above center of notch.
Firstcut _'1 "_,'::<1-'2'II/
Notch... Ji-"
•7 Hinge
• After removing the wood from the notch,
make the felling cut on theopposite side of
the notch.This isdone by makingacutabout
two inches 5 cm) higher thanthe center of
the netch.Th sw eaveenough uncutwced
betweenthefelling cut andthenotch toform
a hinge. This hingewill helppreventthetree
from falling inthe wrong direction.
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fall
Opening
of fel_ing
Closing of
notch
NOTE: Before felling cut is complete, use
wedges to open the cut if necessary to
control thedirection offalL Toavoidkickback
and chain damage, use wood or plastic
wedges, butnever steel or iron wedges.
• Be alert to signs that the tree is ready to
fall: cracking sounds, widening of the felF
ing cut, or movement in the upper
branches.
• As tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it down,
and get away quickly on your planned re-
treat path.
11
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