Husqvarna 395XP, 395XPG

WORKING TECHNIQUES

English – 25

Felling direction

The aim is to fell the tree in a position where you can limb

and cross-cut the log as easily as possible. You want it to

fall in a location where you can stand and move about

safely.

Once you have decided which way you want the tree to fall

you must judge which way the tree would fall naturally.

Several factors affect this:

• Lean of the tree

• Bend

• 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.

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.

1 Danger zone

2 Retreat path

3 Felling direction

Felling

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.

IMPORTANT! During critical felling operations, hearing

protectors should be lifted immediately when sawing is

completed so that sounds and warning signals can be

heard.

WARNING! Unless you have special

training we advise you not to fell trees

with a diameter larger than the bar length

of your saw!