42 bulle;tin 718, u. s. department of agricultuee. 



of the tree (notch) '' saw round " or cut the corners, leaving a couple 

 of inches of the fiber between the saw cut and the notch uncut on one 

 corner. In this way the strain which will be exerted when the tree is 

 falling will pull the body of the tree in the direction j^ou want it to 

 fall. " Sawing round" prevents a leaning tree. from splitting on the 

 stump and possibly breaking the saw. 



In felling very tall straight timber with a heavy crown it is some- 

 times difficult to ascertain in which direction the tree leans the heav- 

 iest until the saw is half wa}^ in the cut, when the saw becomes fast 

 and requires heav}' wedging to loosen it. In wedging such trees, great 

 care should be taken to prevent them from coming back over the cut 

 and injuring the men. Thick wooden wedges are used in extreme 

 cases of this kind. Men felling timber should always yell " timber " 

 before the tree starts to fall, and when it starts, should remove the 

 saw and stand clear. 



The tree should never be completely severed from the stump. Or- 

 dinarily a tree, when falling, will break off 2 or 3 inches of the fiber 

 between the saw cut and the notch. A heavy notch which leaves a 

 long stub on the butt log should be avoided. 



Sawj^ers should endeavor to fall the timber as favorably as possible 

 for skidding purposes, and in a way to prevent the cuts from pinch- 

 ing the saw. A little care along those lines will perceptibly^ affect 

 the volume of cut. Keep count of the number of logs each gang cuts 

 per day. 



If a tree lodges in another when falling, fall the one it is lodged 

 against at once, or, if you are an expert in judging the direction of 

 falling timber, fall another one against the one lodged so as to bring 

 down the latter. Never continue working around a lodged tree. It is 

 likely to iiit you when you are not expecting it. 



After a tree is down, the limbs should be cut off close to the bole 

 and thrown out of the wa}'. The next step is to measure off each log 

 by placing the measuring stick (8 feet long) flat on the bole and 

 clipping a piece of bark off at the end of the first 8 feet, then mov- 

 ing the stick forward to the exact length of the log to be cut and 

 making a plain notch in the bark for 2 or 3 inches over the exact 

 length, to allow for trimming and brooniage on the ends. Walk 

 alongside the tree, and not on it, when measuring the logs. 



All logs should be straight. If a sweep occurs in a tree, cut in the 

 sweep. If a cut pinches, cut a double length log and get the teamster 

 to pull it out to where it can be sawed without " pinching." If there 

 is a break, cut up to the break and start your next log on the other 

 side of it. If a crotch is in the tree, cut out the crotch, but don't 

 waste any lumber in doing it. If a felled tree balapces on a knoll 

 or on another tree, prop the light end. If part of the bole is limby 

 and part is smooth, have as much of the smooth portion as possible 



