Cutting Down Trees: How to Fell Trees

Felling a tree or using a chainsaw can lead to serious injury. In fact, more people are killed while felling trees than doing any other woodworking activity. The impact of a tree can crush your body in a split second.

The number one key safety essential point is proper safety apparel. You can find these items wherever you purchased your chainsaw, splitter, etc. Hearing protection should be used for professional loggers, or even if you're going to be using a chainsaw more that occasionally. Protective chaps can shield your legs from the wicked teeth of the chain. Goggles are essential, and if you're looking to be stylish as well, there are bunches of different types of shades that serve as protective gear as well. Serious consideration should be taken to maximize safety with the proper gear before you try and fell anything. Footwear is also important. If you stumble with a chainsaw in your hand, your risk is much greater of contacting your body. Now that we have safety out of the way, let's learn how to fell a tree.

Always survey the land and the fall path of the target tree before even starting the saw. Avoid felling the tree onto uneven terrain, good sized rocks or other trees or stumps. If you don't, it can result in throwback which could seriously injure or kill you. (this is different from saw kickback) let gravity do some work for you. Look at the tree, if it has a lean to it it's best (if possible) to use that lean to your advantage as long as there is nothing in the way of the fall. It's much safer to cut a leaning tree with the lean. Things get complicated if you try to go against the natural lean of the tree.

Fell all trees in the same direction. This makes limbing and logging easier, and you don't have to walk between a mess of different trees all felled in different manners and directions.

2. The Actual Felling

Trees are felled by using different styles of cuts, the most popular just being called the notch cut, because well...you cut a notch in the tree. You start the notch cut by cutting about 50% of the way through the tree with the saw. Then you'll go 45 degrees downward from a higher distance on the tree to meet the end of the cut you've just inserted. Reference the pictures on this article for an example of the notch cut. NOTE: Make sure not to go to far with your notch, if you do you won't have a hinge. (will explain in a minute.)

The Back Cut or "the felling cut" is the cut that fells the tree. Wow, what a weird name right? =) It is mad completely horizontally identical to the first horizontal cut but on the opposite side of the tree. When cutting DO NOT cut all the way through to the first cut. You need some of the tree left intact to make "THE HINGE" (Refer to the pictures on this article). The hinge allows the tree to fall, and keeps it from breaking loose and coming back at you after it hits the ground and injuring you.

That's it! That's how to fell a tree with the notch cut!