According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls. | 93% |
| 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. | 93% |
| Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall. | 92% |
| Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldozers. | 91% |
| Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct. | 89% |
| Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes. | 89% |
| Determine position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks. | 88% |
| Control the direction of a tree's fall by scoring cutting lines with axes, sawing undercuts along scored lines with chainsaws, knocking slabs from cuts with single-bit axes, and driving wedges. | 87% |
| Trim off the tops and limbs of trees, using chainsaws, delimbers, or axes. | 86% |
| Select trees to be cut down, assessing factors such as site, terrain, and weather conditions before beginning work. | 86% |
| Maintain and repair chainsaws and other equipment, cleaning, oiling, and greasing equipment, and sharpening equipment properly. | 85% |
| Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling. | 84% |
| Tag unsafe trees with high-visibility ribbons. | 83% |
| Secure steel cables or chains to logs for dragging by tractors or for pulling by cable yarding systems. | 78% |
| Load logs or wood onto trucks, trailers, or railroad cars, by hand or using loaders or winches. | 77% |
| Mark logs for identification. | 77% |
| Work as a member of a team, rotating between chain saw operation and skidder operation. | 69% |
| Place supporting limbs or poles under felled trees to avoid splitting undersides, and to prevent logs from rolling. | 59% |
| Split logs, using axes, wedges, and mauls, and stack wood in ricks or cord lots. | 41% |
