Every year, almost 1,000 Australians are seriously injured while using a chainsaw. A large share of those incidents happen at work. For builders and site contractors clearing large timber alone, the stakes climb even higher. Working solo removes the most valuable safety asset on any felling job: a second set of eyes. As a result, there is nobody watching the canopy for falling debris, nobody to spot a shift in the stem, and nobody to call the ambulance.

This work kills people, and the data backs that up. Agriculture, forestry and fishing recorded the highest serious claims rate of any industry in 2023-24, sitting 46.9% above the all-industry average. Solo felling of massive trees leaves zero margin for error. That is exactly why professional operators rely on one specific technique: the bore cut with a holding strap.

The Gear List Is Non-Negotiable

Before any solo feller touches a large stem, the equipment check comes first. Skipping items on this list is how routine jobs turn into coronial inquests. To start, the chainsaw must carry a bar length that matches or exceeds the tree’s diameter. This avoids blind double-cutting from both sides of the trunk. In addition, full personal protective equipment is mandatory: a forestry helmet with integrated face shield and ear muffs, class 3 chainsaw chaps or trousers, steel-toe logging boots and heavy-duty gloves.

At least three plastic felling wedges, 8 to 12 inches long, are also required to hold cuts open and prevent bar pinch. A logging ax or mallet rounds out the kit, used solely for driving wedges into the back cut. Beyond the tools themselves, kickback happens faster than human reflexes. Even modern chain brakes and inertia brakes cannot guarantee protection, according to WorkSafe WA. The gear exists because the physics do not forgive.

Step 1: The Pre-Cut Assessment

With no spotter on site, the pre-cut check has to be flawless. As a result, the operator carries full responsibility for reading the tree correctly before the saw starts.

Look Up First

Dead, detached or interlocking branches in the canopy are called widow-makers. Falling canopy hazards of this kind account for 11% of fatalities during tree-felling operations globally. The term is common across forestry industries worldwide. It reflects a long-standing recognition that dropping limbs and broken tops are as dangerous as direct contact with a running saw. Therefore, if hazard limbs are unstable, the answer is simple. Do not cut. Instead, walk away and bring in a crew or a machine.

Read the Lean

The operator stands back roughly 30 metres to read the tree’s natural weight distribution, structural defects and trunk lean. Importantly, side-lean matters as much as forward lean. It determines where the stem wants to go, regardless of where the notch is placed.

Clear the Escape Paths

Two escape routes get cleared at 45-degree angles opposite the intended felling direction. Every root, branch and tripping hazard comes out. Walking directly backward behind the tree is a known killer. A stem that kicks off the stump travels straight back, so that path must stay clear.

Step 2: The Face Cut Sets the Direction

The face cut, also called the directional notch, dictates exactly where the tree lands. The top cut angles down at 60 to 70 degrees, cutting into 25% to 30% of the tree’s total diameter. The bottom cut then runs horizontal and straight in, meeting the top cut at a flush line. Overcutting into the corners damages the hinge wood, which causes premature breaking and an unpredictable fall. This detail is commonly overlooked, yet it undoes everything that follows.

Step 3: The Bore Cut and Holding Strap

Here is where solo technique separates from traditional felling. On massive or leaning trees, a conventional back cut invites a violent failure called barber-chairing. This is where the trunk splits vertically and snaps upward before the hinge can do its job. In one documented fatality, the splintered butt log kicked upward and struck the sawyer in the head. The bore cut eliminates this risk. As a result, forestry professionals regard it as the safest method to fell a large tree, because it gives the operator full control right up until the release cut.

The sequence is methodical. First, the operator measures 1.5 to 2 inches behind the apex of the face cut notch to set the hinge. That strip of uncut wood becomes the steering mechanism throughout the fall. Next, using the bottom tip of the bar to avoid kickback, the operator bores straight through the side of the trunk behind the hinge line. Once the bar is through, the cut moves away from the notch towards the rear of the trunk.

Finally, cutting stops before the bar exits the back of the tree. This leaves a solid strap of wood, 2 to 4 inches thick, intact at the rear. At this point, the tree is fully cut through the centre yet held securely upright by that rear strap. Consequently, the operator has time to check the hinge, set wedges and prepare the retreat. There is no rush and no decision made under a moving stem.

Step 4: Wedges, Release and Retreat

With the saw idling or switched off, the felling wedges go into the open slot created by the bore cut. The ax drives them in firmly, which physically prevents the tree from settling backward onto the bar. Next comes the release. The operator steps to the pre-planned escape side, positions the bar at the rear of the tree slightly below the bore cut line, then severs the holding strap from the outside.

The moment the strap parts, the tree moves. Standing there to watch it fall is a fatal habit. Instead, the correct sequence is immediate: engage the chain brake, turn and walk down the cleared 45-degree escape path with eyes up. Throughout the retreat, the operator scans for falling overhead limbs. Danger during the fall can come from the trunk itself, as well as from crown sections shaken loose by wedging.

The Bottom Line

Motor-manual felling remains one of the most dangerous tasks in forestry. Even so, mechanised harvesters still cannot fully replace a skilled sawyer on large timber. For the Australian building and construction sector, the lesson extends well beyond trees. High-risk solo work demands control at every stage, and the bore cut with a holding strap is a proven example of that thinking. Operators who master this method hold the tree in a controlled state until they choose to release it. On a solo job, technique is the spotter.