How to get firewood - 3) Cutting a tree down

OK, you've found your tree and you've got your chainsaw and axe. Now for cutting the tree down.

The way the tree wants to fall
Firstly, which way does the tree 'want' to fall? Is it leaning in a particular direction already? Does it have branches evenly spread around its circumference or are they mostly on one side? Is the tree bent or does it have a kink in the middle? All these can be factors that affect the direction a tree will want to fall.

How windy is it? If there's a light breeze it's probably OK to carry on and cut the tree down, but if it's significantly windy and the top of the tree is swaying - wait before cutting this one. The wind can blow a tree in any direction and you don't want it to land on you.
If we're really not sure which way a tree wants to go and if we get it wrong, it could be dangerous – then we usually leave it, it's not worth the risk.

Look around, look up
When you've identified the direction it 'wants' to fall in, check to see if it's likely to hit any other trees as it falls. These can deflect a tree as it falls or it could even get hung up in the branches of another one and remain suspended. You don't want that to happen as you can create a dangerous situation where the tree could fall on you unexpectedly.

Are there any widow-makers? Less likely with spruce as they have fairly small branches but widow-makers are loose branches that can fall on your head whilst you're cutting the tree down - either dislodged by the vibrations from the chainsaw or as the tree begins to fall. They wouldn't have to be very big to seriously injure or kill you falling from the top of a tree. Look up and check.

Escape routes
Make sure you've got two clear escape routes at 45 degrees to the direction you expect the tree to fall. You may need to clear out some brush, so if you have to run you've got a clear path. If there's deep snow you need to walk back and forth a couple of times to pack it down and give yourself a good trail.

Preparing for cutting
OK, you've checked everything and have your escape routes in. Now to cut it down. Make sure you have clear access to the base of the tree. You might need to lop off some lower branches with your axe or clear out some brush from around the tree. Make sure you also have stable footing to stand and saw. Check underfoot. If there's snow on the ground, stamp it down so you can find stable footing.

How does the tree look at the base? If there are lots of insect holes or it's pock-marked it may be rotten or may have been eaten away by ants. This means that the tree could fall suddenly when you're cutting, so be extra vigilant.

Darker coloured wood means this one's partly rotten at the base

Another indication that a tree is rotten is amber-coloured fine sawdust rather than yellow chips as you're cutting. If the tree starts to fall unexpectedly retreat quickly down one of your escape routes. Leave your saw!

Fine, amber-coloured sawdust = rotten wood

Making the cuts
First you need to cut a 'bird’s mouth' facing the direction you want the tree to fall. This is a flat, horizontal cut about a third of the tree's diameter in depth with another cut sloping down to it at 45 degrees to make the shape of a cartoon bird's mouth. If you do it right a satisfying wedge of wood will pop out. Even at this stage be aware of what the tree is doing. Is it making a creaking sound or starting to move already? You may need to use your escape route sooner than you think.

Once you've cut your bird’s mouth, move to the back of the tree, the opposite side to your bird’s mouth and make the felling cut. This is a cut that slopes down gently towards the base of your bird’s mouth but never meets it and doesn't go below it. You need to leave a hinge about a tenth of the diameter of the tree for it to pivot on and fall in the direction you want, i.e. towards your bird’s mouth. Keep cutting until you have a hinge between your felling cut and your bird’s mouth and then the tree should begin to fall. Once it starts moving it's a good idea to move quickly away from the base of the tree down one of your escape routes as the end of the tree can kick back at you. Also, if it gets deflected by another tree as it falls the base can swing around suddenly towards you.

Limbing
Once the tree is safely on the ground the next job is to limb it. This involves removing the side branches or limbs. We limb with an axe and use the blunt side to save the edge. A sharp blow to the base of each limb is usually enough to break it away from a dead tree. But if there are a lot of thick limbs you might want to use your chainsaw. It's certainly faster.
Watch out for the ends of longer limbs flying into your face when you break the branch off.

A tree down and limbed

If you're using a chainsaw it's safest to cut on the opposite side of the trunk to where you're standing so you're protected. Be careful as you’ll need to cut at lots of different angles.
Into lengths

Now to cut the tree into manageable lengths. We cut trees into 8' lengths as they will fit on our snowmachine sled and normally we can manhandle them easily.

Cutting the tree into lengths

Start small
We learnt how to use our chainsaws and cut down trees by starting with the smallest trees, building our confidence and skills and then gradually working up to bigger ones.

There are many excellent and expert sources that can tell you about chainsaws and tree felling. There's some very good and clear advice worth reading in Building the Alaska Log Home by Tom Walker (Alaska Northwest Books).