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<TITLE>Understanding Directional Felling</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>Hi ChainPoint’s<BR>
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I hope you had a great Labor Day Weekend? It was a good time around our place this year. Being home and having time with family and friends is always great.<BR>
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The article this week (below) is taken from the Forest Applications Training, Inc. eBook. If you don’t have a copy, it’s a great tool to have for review of just about everything regarding chain saws. It is available from our eStore as a download, CD or even a printed binder version. You can also download from Barnes and Noble Booksellers. The links are up on the main page of our website if you would like your copy...<BR>
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The Fall is going to be busy, our schedule is full. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at programs near you. Check out our calendar under events on the website. Laura is booking our calendar for January and February now. If you or your organization are considering training after the first of the year you can contact her at the office number or email <a href="Laura@ForestApps.com">Laura@ForestApps.com</a> <BR>
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Cooler weather is moving in again... I am ready for it I think... We’ve seen some hot weather for training this summer. A good article to review is <a href="http://www.forestapps.com/chainpoint/woolpower/woolpower.html">http://www.forestapps.com/chainpoint/woolpower/woolpower.html</a> Woolpower offers some awesome products for year round use but especially as weather gets chilly.<BR>
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Follow Tim on Twitter @ForestApps<BR>
Face Book – see our link on the Website.<BR>
Tim’s Blog – <a href="http://www.ForestApps.Blogspot.com">http://www.ForestApps.Blogspot.com</a> <BR>
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We are headed to South Carolina for the rest of this week and next... See ya there! <BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><FONT FACE="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">Good Sawing,<BR>
<I>Tim Ard<BR>
</I>Forest Applications Training, Inc.<BR>
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O 770.222.2511<BR>
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<a href="http://www.forestapps.com">http://www.forestapps.com</a> <BR>
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<B>Understanding Directional Felling – Chapter 9 “The Complete Guide to Chain Saw Safety and Directional Felling”<BR>
</B></FONT></SPAN><FONT FACE="Arial"><B><FONT SIZE="1"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:8pt'>Written by Tim Ard and Mike Bolin<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></B><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>There are many ways to fell a tree and no two people probably accomplish the task exactly the same way. Depending on what part of the country you live in, who you work for, or who you learned your tree felling skills from will influence how you fell a tree. Each method has its merits and I will discuss a number of these, but I will concentrate my detailed discussion on the ‘open-face technique’ of directional felling which I promote and teach in my training programs. <FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Importance should be placed on the plan that selects the technique – every tree is different.<BR>
</FONT></SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>Directional felling is placing the tree in a desired location, not necessarily where it wants to go. Employing directional felling techniques simplifies the felling process in that you can control where and to a certain extent how the tree falls. Directional felling techniques allow you to move away from the falling tree and observe its descent from a safe distance rather than standing right beside the tree using ‘trial by fire’ techniques. With proper planning and the use of directional felling techniques, you can help maximize efficiency in skidding the logs from the woods.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>Directional felling is also good for the residual stand (the trees left standing after harvesting is over) in that it minimizes damage to the standing timber. As a tree falls, its limbs brush against the limbs of neighboring trees and can break them leaving unsightly widow-makers hanging in these trees and open wounds that attract insect and disease vectors. If the tree is allowed to fall where it wants, it’s likely you will have damage to many residual trees in the woods instead of just a few. Similarly, there may be areas with young tree regeneration that you do not want to damage by dropping a tree into the area. Directional felling allows you to steer the tree away from these areas. Directional felling is a win-win situation, both for you and for the environment.<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'><FONT FACE="Arial"><B><BR>
</B></FONT><B><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">Felling Techniques – The Match Cut.<BR>
</FONT></B><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">Match cutting is an <I>illegal</I> felling technique used by many loggers to harvest high value timber species or large trees with valuable veneer logs. It is also a technique used by inexperienced chain saw operators who do not recognize the merits of a notch and hinge. A match cut involves cutting the tree off flush without using a hinge. The tree falls in the direction of its weighted side lean or in the direction the wind is blowing. This may or may not be the direction the operator wants it to go. I feel this is an unsafe technique and should not be used because you have to stand right next to the tree until it is completely severed from the stump and you have virtually no control of the tree.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>OSHA requires that a directional notch and hinge be used in any manual felling process. Occasionally, I hear loggers say their employer or a timber buyer purchasing logs from them requires them to use a match cut because they want a clean, flush cut on the base of the butt log. I cannot refute what an employer or buyer requires, but I can say that they are likely misinformed about the merits of using a notch and hinge, particularly the open-face technique and they are not placing much regard for the operator’s safety.<BR>
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</B></FONT><B><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">Felling Techniques – Anchor or Spur Cuttings<BR>
</FONT></B><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">A variation of the match cut is a technique using anchor spurs of wood on two to four corners of the stump to help control the direction of fall. Many times spur roots are use as anchors. This technique is often used by loggers to ‘swing’ a tree in a desired direction, but again it is a dangerous technique in that you have to stand next to the tree to systematically cut off the wood spurs to get the tree to land where you want it. This technique does not meet OSHA requirements generally because of little or no notch and usually inconsistent hinges. I suggest we move on from this technique, I don’t recommend it either.<BR>
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<B>Felling Techniques – The Common Notch.<BR>
</B>Most operators employing the use of a notch and hinge use the common notch. In this technique, the common rule is that the notch is cut back into the trunk at least one-third of its diameter. The opening of the notch is normally 30-45 degrees. The back cut is made one or two inches above the back point of the notch to form a ledge that helps keep the butt from rebounding behind the stump.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'><B> </B>Use of the common notch affords more control than the match cut during the felling process, but only to a certain point. Let’s see why this is true.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>Earlier I mentioned the purpose of the notch is to allow the hinge to work. If the notch opening is 30-45 degrees, how far will the top of the tree move before it encounters internal resistance? If you answered 30-45 degrees, you are correct. In this situation, visualize where the top would be when the notch closes. If you envision the top of the tree at a 45-60 degree angle from the ground, again you are correct. If you use the common notch technique, the top will never be anywhere close to the ground—unless you are falling a tree uphill—when the notch closes. And what happens when the notch closes? The hinge is stressed, wood fibers break and the hinge fails. At this point, the tree is free to go where it wants…not a good situation. Frequently the butt log splits, commonly called a ‘barber chair’. Part of the butt log remains attached to the stump and the remainder sails violently backward. Barber chairs have injured and killed many operators.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'><B>Felling Techniques – The Humboldt Notch.<BR>
</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>The Humboldt notch is a variation of the common notch technique and was developed in the Pacific Northwest for felling large trees in mountainous terrain. Basically, it is a common notch that is inverted on the stump. If you can envision tree’s 10-12 feet in diameter, you can also imagine how heavy and cumbersome the notch wood is to remove from the cut. With the Humboldt notch the wood slides easily from the notch since the bottom cut is made at a 45 degree angle rather than flat as in the common notch technique. In addition, the Humboldt notch helps to better lock the tree on the stump during the tree’s fall. However, a higher back cut is still required to prevent butt rebound. Similarly, the butt log of the tree is always flat so there is no perceived board-foot volume deduction for the notch when the butt log is scaled.<BR>
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<B>Felling Techniques – The Open-Face Technique.<BR>
</B>The technique I prefer to use and teach is called the open-face or deep ‘V’ technique. This technique has been around a long time and is commonly used in Scandinavian countries, but is gaining popularity in the United States as more loggers and landowners learn of its merits.<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10.5pt'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>The open-face technique uses a notch with an opening of at least 70 degrees. Recognizing that the hinge will continue to function as long as the notch opening remains open, the open-face technique allows the top of the tree to completely reach the ground, or is at least parallel to it, before the notch closes. Thus, you have complete control of the tree’s fall provided you set up the proper size hinge and execute the back cut correctly. And, an opening of 70-90 degrees allows the notch to be set up so that it often does not penetrate the log cylinder when it is squared up at the sawmill. This saves wood fiber and allows more usable product to be cut from the log. With a notch of 70 degrees or more, the back cut may be level with the back point of the face notch. This is often important in trees with diagonal wood grain low on the stump. This situation is described in further detail under the ‘Hinge’.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>The notch is started by making the top cut first. The operator positions himself/herself to the side of the tree looking directly down the intended ‘line of fall’.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>A cut is made in a downward and slightly inward direction until the length of the notch, corner to corner, is approximately 80 percent of the diameter of the tree.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'> This sets up the length of the front side of the hinge. The operator then removes the saw and finishes the notch by making the second cut in a slightly upward direction. The advantage of making the top cut first is the operator can easily look into the top cut and see when the second cut meets the first. With practice, the operator should be able to make both cuts meet exactly on the first try.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>If the top and bottom cut do not meet, a by-pass (or Dutchman) is created. If a by-pass of more than 3/8 inch exists, the by-pass can cause serious problems for the hinge and hinge failure can result. When the by-pass cut closes, the hinge is stressed with very little forward movement of the tree. The hinge will break or the tree will barber chair and control will be lost. Avoid making by-pass cuts and clean up any by-pass in the open-face notch before completing the hinge and back cut.<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'><B> </B>Here’s a tip on making the two notch cuts meet every time. Did you know the front handle on your saw is designed to make these two cuts easy for you? As long as you do not move around and change your stance after making the first cut, you simply withdraw the saw from the first cut and rotate the saw to its side cutting position by sliding your left hand along the front handle. Put the bar of the saw at the bottom of the first cut, accelerate the saw, and let it feed itself into the tree. Maintaining your position, you should be able to look down into the top cut and see the chain teeth emerge into the kerf (space) of the first cut. The notch wood should slide out on its own or with very little assistance.<BR>
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<B>Positioning the Notch Determines the Direction of Fall.<BR>
</B>If you have determined where you want the tree to land, you must position the open-face notch correctly to accomplish this. Remember—the corner of the notch is the front side of the hinge and the hinge needs to be roughly perpendicular to the intended ‘direction of fall’ line. Corrections for weighted side lean may be necessary and this will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 12 of the Forest Applications Training, Inc. eBook.<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10.5pt'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'>How do you know if the notch is pointing directly at the intended ‘line of fall’? Did you know that all saws have <FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><B>felling sights</B></FONT> on the them? They are either raised lines molded into the top and side of the power head or they may be decal lettering on the saw. The felling sight works just like the sight on a gun or rifle and is perpendicular to the movement of the chain in the guide bar. If you position yourself and the saw correctly before making the first notch cut, the resulting notch will point directly toward the ‘line of fall’ you planned.<BR>
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<B>See this information with illustrations and pictures in your copy of the ForestApps eBook.<BR>
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