Certified arborist Mark Chisholm provides helpful and important safety tips for professionals on how to fell a tree with a chainsaw. Watch all the Pro Tips videos here: bit.ly/arboristprotips
Hey Mark, Just wanted to tell I watched your video and followed your method for falling a tree. I'm very novice at falling trees. I read some of the comments from expert tree fallers below and i'm sure their way works and is safe. Your technique made sense to me. It was the biggest I ever fell. 24" trunk, 52' tall. I placed it, followed all the steps, and it fell safely and exactly where I wanted it to. I was impressed and so where the people watching me. We all went home safe. Thanks for the video.
@@watercoinzero and how is that small good for anything? At most that’s a 14 inch bar which would be grossly undersized for any firefighting applications. So what is the point here?
You can obviously do things more than one way. Mark is an extremely accomplished professional. He never said his way was the only way or the best way, it just happens to work for him in this situation.
I found this a very good short video on the subject. Almost 30 years ago I was a first year electrical apprentice, and I got an arrogant expletive filled rant from a Master Electrician, he really was, when I politely suggested he should tie the sock differently on this huge wire pull we were doing. Chewed me out in front of all the guys from local 569. Well, half way through the pull, that empty sock came flying out of the vault with great speed. I was standing way the heck away and no one got hurt thankfully, but we were there a long time half-hitching the bejeesus out of that bundle. I really enjoy the fact that pros are willing to share their craft on YT, and I am still trying to learn more at this age on tree felling, strictly for firewood purposes; I find the size of the trees people are giving me intimidating so here I am. This is a well made video from Mark here so thank you. Who was it said : "Let no one despise your youth."?Be safe out there. Stihl all the way!
Hey guys. I read the comments and I see that a lot of folks are missing the point. I am the son and grandson of professional loggers. I decided to become a professional arborist. I understand loggers priority is felling efficiency. What Mark is showing here are the PRINCIPLES of safe felling. The face notch he made is not commonly used in forestry logging but all the safe face notch PRINCIPLES are in line (70 opening, 80% of diameter, good directional hinge ...). This guy is a real pro at what he does including felling trees. Becoming a professional arborist like Mark requires a lot of training and technical knowledge. Please respect the man and his profession.
It would have been nice if you had shown the hinge after the felling. It's nice to inspect the hinge, the bore cut/plunge especially when trying to match up cuts from either side. You can always learn how to do better/be better. Great video, very clear and to the point. Thank you!
The use of camera close ups made it difficult to fully understand how the bore cut was made. A view of the stump after the tree was down would have been helpful. I think I understand what you did but taking a tree down of this size is too dangerous "to think" I understand.
Thanks, good technique and safety tips. The bore technique can be tricky and dangerous if done improperly. Would you consider making another video demonstrating proper saw handling and foot placement. Thanks again.
I am glad there are people like you that can orate the steps to cutting down a tree in 6 minutes that takes guys like me less than a minute to do. I grew up in northern Wisconsin where everybody I ever learned from (Father and Uncle) took the steps you did. It is scary times now because less people grow up working then get into the real world and clear their property buy their saws on ebay and bad things happen. That being said I am enrolling our volunteer fire department in chain saw safety classes next month. I will be in attendance but be a fly on the wall. Thank you.
Hi Mark.I would like to say thank you.for your professional video ,It's clear honest.I like to learn from people I would feel safe with , and I would feel safe working with you .so many people are negative and jealous, and take there comments to far. Everybody works differently and are few and far between! It's all about foundation and basic safe knowledge,and working from that . I cant wait to watch and learn more from your videos .stay safe keep up your great work and videos.ill pass on your knowledge to my three boys and will keep moving forward also. Take care and thank you 😊
Bob Frazier, nice to see a faller here.😃 I actually use the Humboldt quite regularly- especially in the tree top (check the other video). I would agree that the wedge (especially a large one) could pinch your saw. Very valid. Two things I find most people do better though- 1- Gun the tree more accurately with the top cut first and 2- find level better, which reduces over cut or bypass. I also find many like to make the top cut first in order to look through the cut when making the second cut, again to lessen over cutting. And, in my area, we shoot for flat cuts at ground level to have no stumps to pick up with the loader😉 and prep for stump grinding. Hope this makes some sense?
Glad you mentioned vines. Here in the West we don 't have much of a vine problem, but I have worked in the East, where it's a common problem. This will give some guys an appreciation of what you are up against.
I just got a stihl ms250c 18" from a guy who never used it . The next week a big pine uprooted the corner of a customers chain link fence and had it 15 feet in the air . What a sight to see that rootball fall into place and land 3/4 posts right back in the hole but had to replace 100 ft of stretched out chain link . Thanks for the good saw stihl and dude who was kind enough to give it up to get his tree cut .
Mark your an absolute expert, i'm glad you didn't plunge cut for a back cut which is madness, i do the scarface as the old school way which is the way all the chainsaw manufacturers of repute recommend & is OSHA approved , this is another option & you explained it correctly also..good work Mark.
Awesome video Mark! Wish you would make a video on cutting up sections of a felled tree thats full length is laying partially into the ground. I have sandy soil here in N Fla and these huge Water Oaks on my property will do that. It takes a second to dull my Sthil saw chain. The ground here is soft. I love my Live Oaks but the Water Oaks even at 70’ have unbelievably small in diameter and depth roots. Thanks again!
This was a great video and I just cut down the tree in my yard and all went just great. The only possible thing I would have done differently is after I'd made my notch and I was sawing from the opposite side of the tree I wish I had made a chalk line around the circumference of the tree so that I could saw where I wanted to more perfectly. The tree came down a few degrees off from where I wanted it but no harm done since I carefully cleared out the area as suggested in the video. A chalk reference line around the tree would have been helpful to get it exactly right.
Thanks for the vid Mark. I for one, just got my first saw and have never cut a tree down....on the youtube parade watching many vids. Thank you for the informational video, appreciate the efforts.
Wow thanks mark you covered every thing I didn't know I needed to think about. I have decided to let a professional do it.My insurance company thanks you too.
Finally!! Someone who knows how to properly handle a saw (thumbs wrapped around handlebar) and a bore cut technique that originated here in the states from a man named Soren Erickson. This technique has literally saved many lives.
I dont understand how this method put any lean into the tree at all, how could the wedges do any lifting when the back wasnt yet cut? Wouldn't it make more sense to do the back cut first, wedge it, then notch the front to the hinge?
great video....so on the back cut you dont have to go up a couple inches to provide a hinge?? is this video it looks like the back cut is even with front cut.
Enjoy your videos Mark. You show the safest way to get the job done properly. Glad to see you mentioned vines in this one as they really do pose a huge threat when cutting, had a friend a couple of years ago cutting and while he watched the tree fall vines broke a huge section of an adjacent trees rotten top off striking him in the back seriously injuring him, he recovered but has/will have back issues from now on.
If you use a humboldt type cut and put it approx. 1/3 of the thickness of tree then no side cuts or wedges are really needed . Side cuts can encourage rotation if the tree head or lean is too much against the direction of fall . A humboldt notch and full width hinge is safer I reckon and drops the tree end reliably away from the stump . For logging it also leaves the angle cut on the stump not the log .
Like your safety talk nice quality of video, just not sur about the wedges in relationships to the strap cut. Question: Did the wedges, installed to parallel to the hinge? Shouldn’t they push in the same direction of the strap? By the way, this is a really good video. Would like to have mon info I’m cutting 3 trees in mid may 2020 lol
What goes into the decision for the angle on the face cut? I’ve seen a few do the 70 degree method but often it’s far less from what I’ve seen anyways. Also the bore cut is to reduce Barber chairs in leaning trees correct? The face cut in this video just seemed much wider then what I see usually.
Appreciate the comments guys. Look, there's many ways to do everything. Do you all use the same cut/approach to every situation because I do not. There's many variables to look at and that will determine the proper approach in my world. Look at the video of me topping the tree out before falling where I use the Humboldt cut. That is a different situation and required a different approach. As I mentioned, we don't like picking up little stump cuts because of using a Humboldt on every tree. Loading logs is much easier/faster when you keep them whole. This tree was in the wide open, on level ground and was a sweet gum. Pretty simple. If it were on a steep slope, had encroaching canopies, may slide back....a different approach is in order. And yes, I would recommend a rope when compensating for lean if needed. We do that daily. Good to bring that up.
Mark,Not sure where you learned that technique ? But in the 20 years of tree falling in British Columbia , Canada. I've never used that type of undercut never ! . Firstly > in the logging business ( where you are dealing with merchantable timber) it wastes to much wood for the mills to square the butt, secondly the formula I was taught by an old tree faller is the undercut is always generally 1/3 of the tree's diameter, the width of the undercut is equal to the depth. This formula has never failed me and I've fell some large tree's in the Fraser Canyon (between the Rockies and Coastal mountain Range) The biggest being 9' feet in diameter cedar. I always use the humbolt cut naturally this leaves the undercut on the stump.Mark i am not here to make you or anyone look like they are in elementary school, i am just speaking from experience and nothing else. In the tree felling business you either know what you are doing or your dead.
Justin Capp Appreciate the comment, sharing your experince and especially the tone! I don't disagree with anything you're saying. Arboriculture has different desired outcomes than logging does and therefore we make decisions based on our specific needs. A stump cut for us is a waste of time and considered a bit amateur to be honest. If we have six trees to remove in a back yard, then we have six small stump cuts to cleanup besides the logs. That's also six more cuts to make, and the logtruck doesn't load as nice with all of those small hunks. Like I've said , the traditional ways of doing good things are time tested and nothing to argue about. Just not the "best" way for all of our situations. It's nice to have choices to draw on. And, like you, I've been in this business for over 30 years and am out climbing and feeling even as we speak today! Stay safe.
Mark Chisholm I know you will have a time dealing with all the trolls on the net. So I would just like to say don't let them get you down and keep up the good work! Opinions are like A@!holes everyone has one and they all stink.
Mark Chisholm can I send you a picture of my tree? Maybe you can give some advice. I'm watching your vids and trying to apply your teachings. Maybe if you see what I'm dealing with, I can get direct advice on how to approach this at my own risk.
Mark Chisholm give up man, I’m a professional arborist and a logger in the winter. I agree with the technique you use here for doing trees in an arboricultural setting. But you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to respond to all the morons out here. It drives me insane. I just have to stop reading the comments section. I find that the loggers don’t get the concept that you have to use a different type of notch in a residential setting.
hi Mark great stuff! where would I be able to find the gear you guys use? PPE etc. I would love that helmet and eye protection you have, looks comfy!! Thanks-Bill Newbury, NH
Husqvarna USA has another decent video done as an in-store tutorial that helps do a good job of explaining the different basic cuts, and WHY. Viewers should watch this vid, then read a bunch of the arguing comments below, then go watch the vid titled "Chainsaw How To - Notch and Hinge Techniques". As a homeowner amateur watching this stuff in order to learn, I think one of the most important factors for me to learn in making a good cut has nothing to with the cut at all. It's making a good assessment of all the forces to expect regarding how the tree will "want" to fall. I know the vids are produced by two competing companies, but they both give good insight for us beginners.
Awesome in depth, step by step video Mark!! Well done!!! Didn't seem like your first face cut, had much of a slant to it, but it worked. Plus I always thought wedges would be used more on an angle in the back? First time I've ever seen a full tree like this cut down. Thanks again so much👍.
Wedge placement was interesting, other then that looked similar to a three point cut- face cut, going in with saw near the hinge, leaving a 3 point conneted in back side, hammer in a wedge, and cut the 3 point.
Nice video. Was wondering about the depth of the face cut. It was pretty shallow. My face cuts tend to be deeper 1/4 or so of diameter. Did you keep it shallow because of the bore cut?
Hi.. I'm Narta from Indonesia, I'm also a woodcutter but the tree in Indonesia is small, the tree I cut is the sengon tree. Are there sengon trees in your area? 🙏
Great quick overview video. Nice job. I’ll throw my obligatory two cents in as well - for a beginner that wants to attempt this, use caution on your plunge cut. My guess is he cut away from the shot (pun intended) at the onset of the plunge to avoid liability.. If you were to picture the end of your blade as a circle, or the face of a clock, kickback is prominent between 9-12 o’clock. So your plunge should begin around 6 oclock if that makes sense.
i have a question my grandpa is a tree cutter he doesn't know how to use ear plugs is there a way to teach him how to use them while cutting a tree down? i worry he may loose his hearing
Very poor explanation of the cuts needed to fall a tree. After you make the first wedge cut in the front. How many inches above the point of the wedge is the rear cut supposed to be. You said you were going to use the wedges to fall the tree but you seem to have made a cut also where did you make this cut
No if you've positioned them correctly then once the final cut is made they will act as a fulcrum to guide the tree in the direction you want it to go. They are just there to help insure you hit your target zone, not to help bring it down.
I started in the woods 50 years ago, when most trees were fell by hand saw. Nobody would cut a huge sloped undercut like you show... too much wood needlessly cut. The level cut was done first to establish where the tree would fall, which is always a 90 degree angle from the undercut. In the old days they would chop out the undercut with long-handled double-bitted axes and then saw the back cut with a crosscut hand saw, with wedges to ensure the saw didn't get bound and to make the tree go in the desired direction. Now we do all this with a chain saw!! I do not see the sense in boring into the center of the tree unless it has a big forward lean, and why wedge the side of the tree? If it has a big side lean, just hold more wood on the other side to the lean when doing the back cut. To help prevent a barber chair, cut a side notch a few inches in on both sides of the tree before doing the back cut. Also, the back cut should b a level cut, not a steep sloping cut some neophytes use thinking that will prevent the tree from falling backward. This is a dangerous practice and should never be done. Good felling folks...Les...
Les McMillan Hi Les, one thing I can't understand is why you mention a steep back cut? This video shows a very, very level horizontal cut just above ground level?
@@4freedomnow887 Math much? 50 years prior to the video was the 1960s when labor was cheaper than material or equipment. What were fallers making back then - maybe around a buck an hour at best?
If you do the math, you will understand that a 70 degree Cumberland notch on a vertical (90 degree) trunk will close when the trunk is about 20 degrees away from hitting the ground. I do not think this video is intended to teach professional loggers, the most efficient way to maximize saleable wood. If you look at the tree felling accidents, many of them on RU-vid, Safety of the people involved in the tree cutting, is the greatest concern, and then being able to control the fall of the tree in the desired direction is the next concern. I would like to know why the wedges were placed so close to the hinge where they would have less leverage? Also, after placing the wedges, why was borecutting not simply continued towards the back of the tree to cut the trigger wood? Thanks
Ray Allison That's very true. For us, we aren't selling the logs and have to have a flush cut for the stump grinding process so this makes it more efficient.
Great tip about looking up & having an escape route. Take the time to clear a way where you won't trip over anything& keep looking up for potential " widow makers".
yes every tree assessment will warrant a different technique. also the plan can change due to the findings especially midway thru. I truly believe in safety regarding escape routes, barber chair avoidance, hang ups, Etc... and have the ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome problems. don't be stuck on one way because "that's the way I've always done it". some times that mentality can bite you in the ass.
Is it okay to just ring around the rosie one - watch which way it goes and run the other way, just once for old time's sake? If for nothing else but to preserve the memory of the long departed big dummy, Sir Darren?
Exactly! From experience, you just need enough to give direction. Most of the falling control is in the hinge anyways, that's why you need to keep the saw parallel to the hinge on the cut towards the hinge from the back
