Tree felling, the process of cutting down a tree, is necessary for purposes ranging from construction and land clearance to commercial forestry and fuel production. The tools used vary dramatically, depending on the scale of the operation and the environment. Choosing the right equipment, whether for a single backyard tree or a large-scale timber harvest, moves the process from a labor-intensive chore to an efficient and controlled operation.
Hand-Powered Tools
Before mechanized power, tree felling relied on tools driven by human effort, methods still used today for small-scale work or in remote areas. The axe remains the most recognizable traditional tool, but its design is specific to the task. A felling axe features a thin, sharp blade profile designed to cut across the wood grain by concentrating force to sever the cellulose fibers.
This design differs significantly from a splitting maul, which has a heavy, wedge-shaped head intended to force wood apart along the grain. Handsaws provide a more controlled cutting action than an axe, particularly the two-person crosscut saw. This saw is symmetrical and features handles at both ends, allowing two sawyers to alternate pulling the blade, which contains raker teeth to clear sawdust.
Controlling the direction of the tree’s fall is managed by felling wedges, typically made of plastic or aluminum for safety. These tapered tools are driven into the back cut of the trunk, providing a lifting force that prevents the saw from binding. Wedges guide the tree’s center of gravity toward the intended drop zone and can influence the direction of a tree that is leaning slightly the wrong way, enhancing safety and precision.
Portable Powered Saws
The most common tools for modern, general-purpose tree cutting are portable powered saws, which offer a significant increase in speed and power over manual methods. The modern chainsaw operates by driving a looped chain, lined with sharp cutting teeth, around a rigid guide bar. This chain is rotated at high speed by a motor, with a centrifugal clutch engaging the chain drive only when the engine speed is increased via the throttle.
Gasoline-powered chainsaws typically use a two-stroke engine, providing a high horsepower-to-weight ratio. They are the standard choice for felling large trees or for use in remote areas due to their power and extended runtime. These models handle long guide bars and maintain consistent chain speed through dense wood, though they require a mixed fuel source and more frequent maintenance.
Electric and battery-powered chainsaws utilize a motor that offers immediate, constant torque and quieter operation. While battery-powered models are lighter and require minimal maintenance, their runtime is limited by capacity, making them best suited for light-to-medium work like limbing or cutting smaller trunks.
A specialized variation is the pole saw, which mounts a small chainsaw head to an extendable pole. This tool allows an operator to safely cut high branches for limbing or pruning while keeping their feet on the ground.
Industrial Logging Machinery
Commercial forestry operations rely on large, highly specialized machinery to maximize volume and efficiency. The feller buncher is a self-propelled machine designed to rapidly cut and gather multiple trees. Its cutting head, often a high-speed disc saw or a robust shear, is mounted on a powerful hydraulic boom, allowing the operator to select a tree, make a clean cut at the base, and hold the stem securely.
After felling, the feller buncher collects the trees into a “bunch” before placing them on the ground for later transport. This machine focuses solely on felling and gathering, significantly reducing the time required compared to using handheld chainsaws.
Harvesters, or processors, represent the next stage of automation, combining the felling function with on-the-spot processing. The harvester head, which fells the tree with a chainsaw mechanism, also contains automated delimbing knives and a measuring system.
Once the tree is felled, the head pulls the trunk through the delimbing knives to strip all branches. The integrated computer system determines the optimal lengths for the logs and uses the saw to “buck” or cut the trunk into specified segments, a process that vastly accelerates the initial preparation of timber.