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Career Details :: Fallers
Description
Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.
Experience
No previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a general office clerk even if he/she has never worked in an office before.
Education
These occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate. Some may require a formal training course to obtain a license.
Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.
Tasks
- Stops saw engine as tree falls, pulls cutting bar from cut, and runs to safe location to avoid injury.
- Clears brush from work area and escape route, and cuts sapling and other trees from direction of fall, using ax and chain saw.
- Splits logs, using ax, wedges, and maul, and stacks wood in rick or cord lots.
- Determines position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks.
- Saws back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall.
- Secures cables to logs and drives tractor to drag logs to landing.
- Scores cutting lines with ax, saws undercut along scored lines with chain saw, and knocks slabs from cuts with ax.
- Loads logs or wood onto trucks, by hand or using winch.
- Places supporting limbs or poles under felled tree to avoid splitting underside and to prevent log from rolling.
- Cuts limbs from felled trees, using chain saw or ax.
- Tags unsafe trees with high-visibility ribbon.
- Appraises tree for characteristics, such as twist, rot, and heavy limb growth, and gauges amount and direction of lean.
- Cuts felled trees into log lengths, using chain saw and ax.
- Inserts jacks or drives wedge behind saw to prevent binding of saw and start tree falling.
- Measures and marks felled trees for cutting into log lengths.
Related Careers
- Crane and Tower Operators
- Hoist and Winch Operators
- Pipelayers
- Pipelaying Fitters
- Railroad Yard Workers
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Performing General Physical Activities
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Judging Qualities of Things, Service, People
Important Skills
- Equipment Selection
- Coordination
- Operation and Control
- Problem Identification
- Identification of Key Causes
Frequent Work Context
- Outdoors
- Consequence of Error
- Responsible for Others' Health & Safety
- Hazardous Equipment
- Hazardous Equipment
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.