i88 FELLING AND 



gained by working with an expert woodcutter, and it is 

 satisfactory to know that a good British woodcutter is as good 

 as any in the world. There are, however, a few general rules 

 to which the woodcutter should pay attention. These are as 

 follows : 



1. An endeavour should be made to throw every tree in 

 such a way as to do the least amount of damage to surrounding 

 standing trees, and young growth. If the tree to be felled has 

 a large crown, and is surrounded by natural regeneration, it 

 may be necessary to lop off all large branches before felling 

 it, though if the young growth is close under the tree this is 

 not necessary, as the crown would fall beyond it. Lopping is 

 dangerous work, and should be avoided if possible. 



2. Each tree should be thrown in the direction where the 

 least damage will be done to itself. On steep slopes trees 

 should be thrown along the contour line, as the crown has 

 then only a small distance to fall, and the tree is less apt to 

 be broken than when it is thrown downhill. A tree thrown 

 directly uphill may shoot backwards, and is therefore danger- 

 ous to the woodcutters. Trees should not be thrown across 

 rocks or felled logs, as they may break, and for the same 

 reason they should not be felled across depressions in the 

 ground. Trees felled in frosty weather are more likely to 

 break than those cut on damp days, as they are less flexible. 



3. In felling trees, attention should be paid to easy removal 

 of the logs. They should not therefore be thrown into ravines 

 or ditches. On slight slopes they should be felled uphill, as 

 they are more easily dragged out when the butts lie down- 

 wards. 



4. During heavy wind felling should be stopped. This is 

 specially important when felling amongst young growth. It 

 is dangerous to the woodcutter to fell in a strong wind if there 

 are other gangs near him, as the noise of the wind prevents 

 him hearing what is going on. The safest place, as the tree 

 falls, is near the stump at right angles to the direction in 



