Fallers

Career Overview

Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.

Also Known As

• Logger
• Timber Cutter
• Timber Faller
• Tree Faller

Alternate Job Titles

• All-Round Logger
• Arborist
• Arborist Assistant
• Arborist Climber
• Arborist Representative
• Axman
• Certified Arborist
• Chain Saw Operator
• Climbing Arborist
• Cross Cut Sawyer
• Cutter Operator
• Hewer
• High Climber
• Logger
• Lumberjack

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

• Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls.
• Appraise trees for certain characteristics, such as twist, rot, and heavy limb growth, and gauge amount and direction of lean, to determine how to control the direction of a tree's fall with the least damage.
• Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall.
• Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldozers.
• Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes.
• Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct.
• Determine position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks.

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

• Reaction Time
• Multilimb Coordination
• Control Precision
• Manual Dexterity
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Speed of Limb Movement
• Static Strength
• Trunk Strength
• Auditory Attention
• Depth Perception

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

• Cautiousness
• Dependability
• Self-Control
• Perseverance
• Attention to Detail

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

• Support
• Independence
• Working Conditions
• Relationships
• Achievement

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: Less than a High School Diploma

Related Work Experience Needed: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years

On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month

Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word

Tools & Equipment

• All terrain vehicles ATV
• Auger bits
• Boom boats
• Caulk boots
• Chain flail delimbers
• Chain saw chaps
• Chain saws
• Climbing belts
• Combi cans
• Debarking tools
• Diameter tape measures
• Digital tachometers
• Emergency first aid kits
• Feller bunchers
• Felling axes

Work Environment

• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
• Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
• Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
• Freedom to Make Decisions

Salary & Job Market

Salary Percentile	Annual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)	$35,620
Median	$53,900
Top Earners (90th percentile)	$84,510

Workers Employed Nationally: 4,110

Related Careers

If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:

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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.