32 BULLETIN 111, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
where felled, it is felled upgrade and, as in the case of 
level ground, into the green timber as far as practical. 
The aim at all times is to select a spot, or bed, where 
the bole of the tree will not be broken by the fall and 
will do no damage to other timber. It is occasionally 
necessary to make a bed for the large trees by swamp- 
ing and leveling the ground, or by felling small, inferior 
species. 
(4) The simplification of the work of cutting the 
trees into logs. 
(5) The avoidance of lodging one tree in another. 
THE UNDEECUT. 
A wedge-shaped notch, or undercut, with a horizontal 
base in most cases, is cut in the trunk of the tree in the 
direction of fall, to guide the tree and to prevent the 
bole from splitting before it is completely severed from 
the stump. The depth of the undercut varies with the 
size and lean of the tree and the direction it is to be 
thrown, ranging from one-fifth to one-fourth of the 
diameter. It is deeper proportionately in small than in 
large timber. The undercut in trees that lean heavily 
in the felling direction is made deeper than usual in 
order to insure a clean break. For example, the under- 
cut of a perpendicular tree 60 inches in diameter is 
about 15 inches deep ; of a tree of the same size leaning 
5 feet, about 24 inches deep; leaning 10 feet, about 30 
inches deep. In trees that lean away from the felling 
direction and require heavy wedging, a smaller under- 
cut is made in order to increase the power of the 
wedges. Under the latter condition the undercut may 
not be made until the felling cut is well in and the 
wedges started. The undercut is placed from 2 to 4 
inches below the point at which the felling cut is to be 
started on the opposite side of the tree. The horizontal 
cut in most cases is made with a falling saw (fig. 2), 
the undercut being completed with a falling ax (fig. 3). 
In relatively small timber both faces of the undercut 
may be made with an .ax. Not infrequently the height 
of the stumps cut makes the use of springboards (fig. 4) , 
or some sort of scaffold, necessary when undercutting. 
Then, too, the fallers prefer to stand on springboards, 
even when the size of the roots does not make such a 
contrivance necessary. The ground around trees in the 
woods is more or less soft and does not give a firm foot- 
•fig. 2.— Fan- hold. If the ground is sloping, the tendency is for the 
ing saw. 
