Size up the tree before cutting
Weigh the tree's lean, dead limbs, nearby trees and wind to decide whether and how to fell it.
Career profile
Tree Faller
Fallers cut down trees with a chainsaw, following a plan they choose carefully.
Before any cut, fallers study the tree and its surroundings. Patient, watchful people who like hands-on labor may enjoy the thinking behind every cut.
A day in the life
Clear brush and a way out
Clear brush from your work spot and escape route so it does not get in your way.
Drop the tree where planned
Use the chainsaw and wedges to bring the tree down in the direction you chose beforehand.
Cut the trunk into logs
Some positions have you measure the downed trunk, saw it into set lengths and inspect the logs.
Keep the saw in shape
Clean and oil the chainsaw, sharpen the chain and fix it when needed so it keeps running.
Quick facts
High school diploma or equivalent
United States · 2025–2035
$52,100 a year
United States · May 2025
9.9% decline
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school diploma or equivalentTypical entry preparation, followed by training on the job.
Pay
$52,100 a yearNational median for fallers, equivalent to $25.05 an hour.
Outlook
9.9% declineFaller employment is projected to shrink, with about 500 openings a year on average.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like noticing physical details before deciding what to do.
- You can stay deliberate during tiring outdoor work.
- You enjoy caring for tools as well as using them.
Things to weigh
- Falling trees, branches, and chainsaws can cause severe injuries. Noise, rough ground, and bad weather add strain to an already physical day.
- Early starts and long drives to logging sites can stretch your day. In some regions, work is seasonal.
Where AI may help
Large harvesting machines can cut trees, remove limbs, and cut logs to length, reducing some manual work across logging crews.
What people still lead
Manual fallers often work where large equipment cannot reach. You still assess the tree and surrounding hazards before cutting.
What we can’t predict yet
How much cutting shifts to machines will depend partly on the terrain they can handle. The balance between chainsaw work and equipment work may change from site to site.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national faller figures as a comparison point when you look at an actual job offer.
The middle and the spread
The median was $52,100 a year, or $25.05 an hour. The 10th–90th percentile range was $35,180–$82,360 annually, or $16.91–$39.60 hourly. These are wage percentiles, not starting and senior pay levels.
Ask how much work the offer includes
Logging schedules can be seasonal or include extended shifts. Ask about expected hours and months of work alongside the pay rate.
Openings in a shrinking occupation
Employment is projected to fall 9.9% from 2025 to 2035. About 500 openings a year are still projected on average; openings can occur as workers leave even while total employment declines.
Getting started
Learn with a logging crew
- What the route involves
- Start in a job that provides training in logging hazards, chainsaw use, and equipment care.
- What it can lead to
- You move from close supervision to performing the trained duties independently once you demonstrate safe performance to the employer.
- What to check
- Federal youth employment rules prohibit most logging work under age 18. Covered logging employers must also ensure current first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.
Build field skills before applying
- What the route involves
- Take a logging or forest-technology program with field practice. Look for instruction that includes tree assessment, chainsaw handling, and guided felling.
- What it can lead to
- You gain practice cutting down trees, removing limbs, and cutting trunks into logs before seeking a crew position.
- What to check
- Course completion does not replace an employer’s responsibility to check that you can safely perform the job’s tasks.
A high school diploma or equivalent is typical preparation. You can learn through a logging employer or build relevant field skills in a training program first.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Build consistent habits for checking each tree, keeping the work area clear, and maintaining your saw.
Develop your judgment
Get better at recognizing how lean, rot, and heavy limbs affect a felling decision. Compare what you noticed with what happened.
Broaden your crew role
With additional equipment training, learn to operate a skidder—the machine that drags logs. Some crews rotate workers between felling and moving timber.
Where you can work
Logging sites using cables
Here, cable systems pull felled timber toward a collection area. Your work fits around moving lines and loads, with clear signals between crew members before lines move.
- Outdoors
- Field work
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Crews using ground machinery
Skidders drag logs out of the woods. On some crews, you rotate between chainsaw work on foot and operating a skidder, so equipment skills become a larger part of the day.
- Outdoors
- Field work
- Vehicle
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Compare two photographs of standing trees. Mark visible lean, uneven limb growth, and neighboring trees, then list what the photos cannot tell you. Notice whether you enjoy studying those details before making a decision.
Stay safe: Keep this exercise on paper. Do not cut a tree or enter an active logging site to try it.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 45-4021.00 — Fallers. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook — Logging Workers. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1910.266 — Logging operations. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — National estimates, Fallers, SOC 45-4021. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections, Table 1.2 — Fallers, 2025–2035. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, Wisconsin Forestry Center. Science of Tree Felling. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. What jobs are off-limits for kids?. Accessed 2026-10-10.