11
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Allow the chain to cut for you. Exert
only light downward pressure. If you
force the cut, damage to the bar,
chain, or engine can result.
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Release t hethrottle triggeras soonas
the cut is completed, allowing t he en-
gine to idle. If you run the saw at full
throttle without a cutting load, unnec-
essary wear can occur to the chain,
bar, and engine.
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To avoid losing control when cut is
complete, do not putpressure on saw
at end of cut.
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Stop the engine before setting the saw
down after cutting.
TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES
W ARNING:
Check for broken or
dead branches which can fall while cutting
causing serious injury . Donotcut nearbuild-
ings or el ectrical wires if youdo notknow the
directionof treefall, norcut a tnight since you
will not be ale to see well, nor during bad
weathersuch asrain, snow, o rstrongwinds,
etc. If thetree makes contact with any utility
line, the utility company should b e notified
immediately.
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Carefullyplan your sawingoperationinad-
vance.
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Clear theworkarea. You needa cleararea
all aroundthetreeso you canhavesecure
footing.
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The chain saw operator should keep on
the uphill side of the terrain as the tree is
likely toroll or s lidedownhill afterit is felled.
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Study the natural conditions that can cause
thetreetofallinaparticulardirection.
Natural conditions that can cause a tree to
fall in a particular direction include:
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The wind direction and speed.
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The lean of the tree. The lean of a tree
might not be apparent due to uneven or
sloping terrain. Use aplumb orlevel to de-
termine the direction of tree lean.
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Weight and branches on one side.
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Surrounding trees and obstacles.
Look for decay and rot. If thetrunk is rotted,
it can snap and fall toward the operator.
Check for broken or dead branches which
can fall on you while cutting.
Make sure there is enough room for the tree to
f all. Maint ain a distance o f
2-1/ 2
tree length s
from the nearest p erson or oth er objects. En-
gine no ise can d rown o ut a warning call.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, sta-
ples, andwire f romthe treewherecuts areto
be made.
Plana clear retreatpathto therear anddiag-
onal to the line of fall.
Direction of Fall
45
_
Plan a clear retreat path
FELLING LARGE TREES
(6 inches in diameter or larger)
The notch method is used to fell large trees.
A notc his cut on theside ofthe treein thede-
sired direction of fall. After a felling cut is
made on the opposite side of t ree, the tree
will tend to fall into the notch.
NOTE:
If the tree has large buttress roots,
remove thembeforemaking thenotch. Ifus-
ing saw to remove buttress roots, keep saw
chain fromcontactinggroundto preventdull-
ing of the chain.
NOTCH CUT AND FELLING THE
TREE
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Make notch cut by cutting the top of the
notch first. Cut through
1/3
of the diameter
ofthetree.Nextcomplete thenotchby cut-
ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra-
tion. Once the notch is cut remove the
notch of wood from the tree.
Notch
First cut
Second cut
Final (felling) cut here. 2 in-
ches above center of notch.
Hinge
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After removing the wood from the notch,
makethefelling cuton theopposite side of
the notch. This is done by making a cut
abouttwo inches higher than the center of
the notch. This will leave enough uncut
woodbetweenthefelling cut andthenotch
to form a hinge. This hinge will help pre-
ventthetreefromfallingin thewrongdirec-
tion.
Opening
of felling
cut
Closing of
notch
Hinge holds tree on stump and helps
control fall
NOTE:
Before felling cut is complete, use
wedges to open the cut if necessary to
controlthedirectionof fall. Toavoid k ickback
and chain damage, use wood or plastic
wedges, but never steel or iron wedges.
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Be alert to signs that the tree is ready to
fall: cracking sounds, widening of the fell-
ing cut, or movement in the upper
branches.
