To Fell a Tree....Jeff Jepson
Read this before you pick up a saw
bill
Great book.
I limb 1st. I want to remove as much weight, leverage and other forces from the trunk as possible before I start working on the trunk.
Use the smallest saw that will do the job. Large saws cause fatigue. Fatigue causes accidents.
A second saw is valuable for removing a pinched bar. If you don't have a 2nd saw, then have a 2nd bar and chain. You might be able to remove the saw head from the pinched one and resume working. Sometimes bars are so stuck that you can't get them out with just a cant, especially if it has even a couple limbs remain on it. It's pretty much impossible to roll a 2,000 trunk if it still has a limb or 2 jammed underneath it.
Watch those limbs under stress that are touching the ground. They can be storing a tremendous amount of energy. I was hit with one across my ribs once as I cut thru it. It felt like I was hit with a baseball bat and it happened instantly without warning.
After I get as much of the top de-weighted as possible, I start working on the trunk. Open notches and proper hinges are very important. I love it when the hinge stays intact after the tree is on the ground. If the hinge is still attached (which is a good reason to cut an open notch as opposed to the traditional 45 degree notch...refer to the book "To Fell a Tree" for top notch notches), I start as far away from the felling cut as I can get the saw underneath without hitting dirt, and I cut from the underside. Cutting from the top risks pinch, cutting from underneath keeps the bar in a kerf that will stay open, instead of closing. Sometimes you can't cut from underneath without hitting dirt. A plastic wedge solves that problem. Cut from the top and as soon as you have cut deep enough to have clearance, jam a wedge in.
I've pinched more bars than I care to admit. I always think I can cut just a little bit farther, and the second I stop concentrating on if the kerf is closing, in a blink of an eye it's too late to get the bar out. Stop each cut a little before you think you should. Once a bar is pinched, it's a pain in the ass.