100 FKLLING. 



■work must begin at the highest point, so that all the trees in the 

 portions not yet operated in may aid in preventing the trees felled 

 above them from slipping or rolling down. In clear fellings on 

 level ground, as, for instance, in coppice coupes, the trees should 

 be made to fall in the direction opposite to that in which the work 

 is progressing, so that every portion of the area in which the 

 fellings are still to be made may be quite clear of fallen material. 

 Where a constant wind blows, the work should begin on the edge 

 of each section and progress against the wind. 



Trees may be felled either with some chopping instrument alone, 

 or with the saw alone, or with a chopping tool and the saw com- 

 bined. Stems cut back for coppice will not admit of the use of a 

 saw, which would leave a spongy absorbent surface that would 

 afterwards have -to be smoothed with an axe or adze at great 

 additional expense. 



The different modes of felling will now be sketched in broad 

 lines. 



Abiiolb 1. — Feiliitg above geotjnd. 



(1). Felling with chopping tools alone. 



Nothing special need be said here regarding the cutting down 



of saplings, except that when they are expected to coppice, their 



'base should be supported with a stout piece of hard, knotty wood, 



in order to prevent the roots from being injured by the shock of 



the felling axe or bill. 



In cutting back small poles, the fall of which, owing to their 

 lightness, is easily directed, it is usually found convenient to cut 

 all round the stem, thus giving the butt of the detached pole the 

 form of an inverted cone. 



In the case of larger stems, the fall of which it is important or 

 absolutely necessary to direct, a horizontal cut should first be 

 made on the side on which the tree should fall and extending to a 

 little beyond half the diameter. This depth of cut is needed to 

 prevent the bole, when the tree is beginning to fall, from splitting 

 along the whole or some portion of its length — an accident of 

 frequent occurrence with unskilful workmen. Another advan- 

 tage gained is that if the tree is perfectly symmetrical, the ver- 

 tical through its centre of gravity falls inside the cut, and the 

 weight alone of the tree then bears it down on the side on which it 

 has to fall. Even when the tree is over-developed on the opposite 

 side, the deep cut helps it to be pushed or pulled over more easily 

 in the required direction. The second cut should be made exactly 



