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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 aim is to avoid is letting the tree fall onto another
tree. It is very dangerous to remove a trapped tree and there
is a high accident risk. See instructions under Freeing a tree
that has fallen badly.
Clearing the trunk and preparing your retreat
De-limb the trunk 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.
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.
Directional cuts
To make the directional cuts you begin with the top cut.
Stand to the right of the tree and cut on the pull stroke.
Next make the bottom cut so that it finishes exactly at the
end of the top cut.
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 of
the tree and cut on the pull stroke.
Make the felling cut about 3-5cm (1.5-2 inches) above the
bottom directional cut.
WORKING TECHNIQUES
IMPORTANT! During critical felling operations, hearing
protectors should be lifted immediately once sawing is
completed so that sounds and warning signals can be
heard.
WARNING! Unless you have specialised
training, we advise you not to fell trees with
a diameter larger than the bar length of
your saw!
BT-CS-40
