Question for all of the pros in the club, are you familiar with the WorkSafe BC video series? If so, is this a good series for relatively inexperienced members like myself when it comes to felling trees? Is there a better resource out there as far as YouTube is concerned? I prefer watching videos as opposed to reading when it comes to this sort of thing. Obviously nothing is better than real world experience but I want to ensure proper technique to be safe. I have cut down a few trees successfully in the past by using a bore cutting technique an Amish logger showed me. If there is already a good thread on this topic I apologize and would appreciate being directed to it. I will place a link to one of the videos below. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!
Marvin there are actually several ways to fell a tree and many of us have been taught different methods. It is good to know several methods too because one size does not fit all when it comes to felling. One strange thing to me is how so many make use of the wedges so much no matter what the tree and I rarely use a wedge but have no problem felling the trees. I'm probably old school though as I learned how to fell trees back in the 50's. Never had a problem though.
Backwoods Savage makes solid points based on his experience for sure. But for others to chime in is important too, for you Marvin- Scotty Overkill, walt, Barcroftb, Armbru84, amateur cutter, Shawn Curry, to name a few.... Many more here on the forum do this regularly as well.
Yes, that’s a great series. It goes into a bit of logging industry specific stuff but I found that interesting too. There’s also a couple videos from Husqvarna that are pretty good. If you like books I recommend “To Fell a Tree” by Jeff Jepson.
Learn several different techniques & practice on "safe" trees. Watch carefully what happens in different situations, both video & real life. Always ask yourself, "what could possible go wrong" & try to plan accordingly. Everything is replaceable except life & limb. I'll still walk away from some trees, & call someone more equipped & experienced if the situation warrants it. It's a learning curve like everything. Game of Logging is an excellent course to learn if it's ever offered in your area. Best advice I have is stay alive!
WorkSafe BC series are good videos . I use wedges 90 percent of the time when felling trees ,I feel it is a very safe way to keep complete control of the tree.
I think the BC faller videos are generally well done. Dennis has hit the the nail on the head though there isn't a one size fits all method for safely felling trees. For example: felling a tree using the bore cut is one of the safest methods, but it doesn't work well with very small trees. To address the use of wedges for felling I like to think of them like safety belts for cars. It's better to use them and not need them, than it is to need them and not use them. It takes quite a bit of practical application in reading the orientation of a tree to properly judge it. Most aspiring fallers, unless trying to become pros or do it for a living, will never get to that point. Wedges help level that playing field.
Jepson is a well respected arborist and his books are great. But I highly recommend a book that Jeff and most of us "modern" arborists learned pretty much everything from: The Fundamentals of General Tree Work Jerry Beranek is someone who did more to shape the industry than anyone. He is regarded as the father of modern tree work. I would gladly pay 10 times the 20 dollar asking price for the digital copy of the book. I have paid more than that for less knowledge in the past.
Type of wood also comes into play. I almost bit the dust cutting a good size white birch that split and kicked back half way through the cut. Had I not been positioned off to the side, I would have been hurt badly or worse. My teacher was the school of hard knocks. A deadly way to learn. I wish I had known someone to show me, or had youtube etc. Cutting wood, standing or on the ground is not common sense. There are wright ways and very wrong ways. Consequences vary.
Thanks everyone for the input. I thought I kinda knew what I was doing a little bit when taking down trees (although I never took on any real big ones). However the more I learn the more I realize I don't know a whole lot. It is fun learning a new skill though so I will be checking out these recommendations. Feel free to keep the conversation going. I hope I'm not the only one learning from this.
When a tree barber chairs like that it can be pretty scary and dangerous. The bore cut method I referenced in the video above will pretty much eliminate that danger when felling trees. The other thing that is important is most tree felling accidents happen within a 15 foot radius of the tree. If a feller gets out of that zone they reduce their chance of injury big time.
I learned from my gramps. He never used a wedge either so that’s the way I learned. Haven’t had a problem either
Gramps taught me. I wanted to know the "why" . He couldn't tell me, it was "it works" . The Husqvarna videos and the BC work safe faller videos helped. I've watched the BC videos a half dozen times now. I started doing my firewood then. I read jepsons book and some others. Beraneks book is awesome. Four years later I'm climbing and rigging apart from my day job. It's come full circle. I just did a removal last fall together with Grandpa at his place on a tree we planted together 25-28 years ago
