USER MANUAL
17
- Do not cut down trees having an extreme lean or large trees with rotten
limbs, loose bark or hollow trunks. Have these trees pushed or dragged
down with heavy equipment, then cut them up.
- Do not cut trees near electrical wires or buildings. Leave this operation
for professionals
- Check the tree for damaged or dead branches that could fall and cause
serious personal injury.
- Periodically glance at the top of the tree during the back cut to see if
the tree is going to fall in the desired direction.
- If the tree starts to fall in the wrong direction, or the saw gets caught or
hung up during the fall, leave the saw and evacuate the area immediately!
- When bucking and felling operations are being performed by two
or more persons, at the same time, the felling operation should be
separated from the bucking operation by a distance of at least twice the
height of the tree being felled. Trees should not be felled in a manner
that would endanger any person, strike any utility line or cause any
property damage. If the tree does make contact with any utility line, the
utility company should be notified immediately.
The operator should keep on the uphill side of terrain, as the tree is likely
to roll or slide after it is felled.
Pick your escape route (or routes in case the intended route is blocked).
Clear the immediate area around the tree and make sure there are
no obstructions in your planned path of retreat. Clear the path of safe
retreat approximately 135 from the planned line of fall (Fig. 17)
Consider the force and direction of the wind, the lean and balance of the
tree and the location of large limbs.
These things influence the direction in which the tree will fall. Do not try
to fell a tree along a line different from its natural line of fall.
Remove dirt, stones, loose bark, nails, staples and wire from the tree
where felling cuts are to be made.
Small trees, up to 15-18 cm in diameter, are usually felled in a single cut.
Larger trees require a process consisting of two main cutting operations:
a notched undercut followed by a felling back cut.
