How to Harvest Large Pine Trees
- 1). Determine which direction you want the tree to fall. To do this, locate an area around the tree free of obstacles such as houses, utility lines or parked cars. This debris field must be as long as the tree is tall and twice as wide. The side of the tree that faces the direction you want the tree to fall is the "face." The side opposite the face is the "backside."
- 2). Clear a path by which you can safely escape the falling tree by moving away from the backside.
- 3). Place an undercut into the face of the tree with your chain saw. Position the undercut approximately 12 inches off the ground. The undercut is a slice into the face that goes approximately one-third of the way into the tree and runs parallel to the ground.
- 4). Place a back cut into the backside of the tree approximately 2 inches higher than the undercut. This slice goes approximately two-thirds of the way through the tree. This will leave a 2-inch hinge between the undercut and the back cut. Keep the cut parallel to the ground.
- 5). Turn off the chain saw and move away from the tree when you see the tree pitch toward the debris field. This movement indicates the tree will now fall under its own weight. In some cases, if the chain saw is not at full rev, you might hear cracking as the tree pitches. This is also an indicator that the tree will now fall on its own.
- 6). Cut smaller and moderate-size branches into logs by cutting straight through the branch in intervals of approximately 12 to 24 inches with the chain saw. This creates small, manageable logs. Stack the logs in a pile away from the tree.
- 7). Cut upward through large branches at least a quarter of the way through the branch with the chain saw. Remove the chainsaw from the tree and then cut down though the branch the remainder of the way. Cut large branches to manageable lengths of about 12 to 24 inches and then pile the logs away from the tree. Repeat this same process when cutting the main trunk of the tree.
