McCulloch Aug-42 Tree Felling Techniques, Felling Large Trees, Notch CUT and Felling the Tree

SKeep the engine at full speed the entire time you are cutting.

SAllow the chain to cut for you. Exert only light downward pressure.

SRelease the throttle trigger as soon as the cut is completed, allowing the en- gine to idle. If you run the saw at full

throttle without a cutting load, unneces- sary wear can occur.

STo avoid losing control when cut is com- plete, do not put pressure on saw at end of cut.

SStop the engine before setting the saw down.

TREE FELLING TECHNIQUES

WARNING: Felling a tree requires chain saw skills and experience. Inexperi- enced users should not fell trees. Do not at- tempt any task that makes you feel uncom- fortable or unsure.

WARNING: Do not cut near buildings or electrical wires if you do not know the di- rection of tree fall, at night since you will not be able to see well, or during bad weather such as rain, snow, or strong winds. as fall is unpredictable.

Carefully plan your sawing operation in ad- vance. You need a clear area all around the tree so you can have secure footing. Check for broken or dead branches which can fall on you causing serious injury.

Natural conditions that can cause a tree to fall in a particular direction include:

SThe wind direction and speed.

S The lean of the tree. The lean of a tree might not be apparent due to uneven or sloping terrain. Use a plumb or level to de- termine the direction of tree lean.

SWeight and branches on one side. S Surrounding trees and obstacles.

Look for decay and rot. If the trunk is rotted, it can snap and fall toward the operator. Make sure there is enough room for the tree to fall. Maintain a distance of 2-1/2tree lengths from the nearest person or other objects. En- gine noise can drown out a warning call. Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, staples, and wire from the tree where cuts are to be made.

Plan a clear retreat path

Direction of Fall

45_

FELLING LARGE TREES

(15 cm in diameter or larger)

The notch method is used to fell large trees. A notch is cut on the side of the tree in the 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.

NOTCH CUT AND FELLING THE TREE

SMake notch cut by cutting the top of the notch first. Cut through 1/3 of the diameter of the tree. Next complete the notch by cut- ting the bottom of the notch. See illustra- tion. Once the notch is cut remove the notch of wood from the tree.

	Final cut here. 5 cm above
First cut	center of notch.
	5 cm
Notch	5 cm

Second cut

S After removing the wood from the notch, make the felling cut on the opposite side of the notch. This is done by making a cut about 5 cm higher than the center of the notch. This will leave enough uncut wood between the felling cut and the notch to form a hinge. This hinge will help prevent the tree from fall- ing in the wrong direction.

Hinge holds tree on stump and helps control fall

Opening of felling cut

Closing of notch

NOTE: Before felling cut is complete, use wedges to open the cut when necessary to control the direction of fall. To avoid kickback or chain damage, use wood or plastic wedges, but never steel or iron wedges.

SBe alert to signs that the tree is ready to fall: cracking sounds, widening of the felling cut,

or movement in the upper branches.

SAs tree starts to fall, stop saw, put it down,

and get away quickly on your planned re- treat path.

SDO NOT cut down a partially fallen tree with your saw. Be extremely cautious with par- tially fallen trees that may be poorly sup- ported. When a tree doesn’t fall completely, set the saw aside and pull down the tree with a cable winch, block and tackle, or tractor.

CUTTING A FALLEN TREE

(BUCKING)

Bucking is the term used for cutting a fallen tree to the desired log length.

WARNING: Do not stand on the log being cut. Any portion can roll causing loss of footing and control. Do not stand downhill of the log being cut.

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