WORKING TECHNIQUES
•Wind direction
•Arrangement of branches
•Weight of snow
•Obstacles within the reach of the tree: for example, other trees, power lines, roads and buildings.
•Look for signs of damage and rot in the stem, this makes it more probably that the tree will break and start to fall before you expect it to.
You may find you are forced to let the tree fall in its natural direction because it is impossible or dangerous to try to make it fall in the direction you first intended.
Another very important factor, which does not affect the felling direction but does affect your safety, is to make sure the tree has no damaged or dead branches that might break off and hit you during felling.
The main point to avoid is letting the tree fall onto another tree. It is very dangerous to remove a trapped tree and there is high accident risk. See instructions under the heading Freeing a tree that has fallen badly.
IMPORTANT! During critical felling operations, hearing protectors should be lifted immediately when sawing is completed so that sounds and warning signals can be heard.
Clearing the trunk and preparing your retreat
Delimb the stem up to shoulder height. It is safer to work from the top down and to have the tree between you and the saw.
Remove any undergrowth from the base of the tree and check the area for obstacles (stones, branches, holes, etc.) so that you have a clear path of retreat when the tree starts to fall. Your path of retreat should be roughly 135 degrees away from the intended felling direction.
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2Retreat path
3Felling direction
Felling
! | WARNING! Unless you have special | |
training we advise you not to fell trees | ||
| ||
| with a diameter larger than the bar length | |
| of your saw! |
Felling is done using three cuts. First you make the directional cuts, which consist of the top cut and the bottom cut, then you finish with the felling cut. By placing these cuts correctly you can control the felling direction very accurately.
Directional cuts
To make the directional cut you begin with the top cut. Aim using to the saw’s felling direction mark (1) toward a goal further forward in the terrain, where you would like the tree to fall (2). Stand on the
Next make the bottom cut so that it finishes exactly at the end of the top cut.
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The directional cuts should run 1/4 of the diameter through the trunk and the angle between the top cut and bottom cut should be 45°.
The line where the two cuts meet is called the directional cut line. This line should be perfectly horizontal and at right angles (90°) to the chosen felling direction.
Felling cut
The felling cut is made from the opposite side of the tree and it must be perfectly horizontal. Stand on the left side
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of the tree and cut on the pull stroke.
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1 Danger zone
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