What Do Faller Do?

Position Description Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.

Faller Responsibilities

• Maintain and repair chainsaws and other equipment, cleaning, oiling, and greasing equipment, and sharpening equipment properly.
• Mark logs for identification.
• 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.
• Trim off the tops and limbs of trees, using chainsaws, delimbers, or axes.
• Place supporting limbs or poles under felled trees to avoid splitting undersides, and to prevent logs from rolling.
• Select trees to be cut down, assessing factors such as site, terrain, and weather conditions before beginning work.

Faller Needed Skills

These are the skills Fallers say are the most useful in their careers:

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Other Faller Job Titles

• Timber Cutter
• Chain Saw Operator
• All-Round Logger
• Arborist Representative
• Axman

Job Opportunities for Fallers

There were about 7,500 jobs for Faller in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Faller. There will be an estimated 800 positions for Faller per year.

The states with the most job growth for Faller are Kentucky, Maryland, and Oregon. Watch out if you plan on working in Georgia, Alaska, or South Carolina. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Average Fallers Salary

The typical yearly salary for Fallers is somewhere between $27,080 and $78,500.

Fallers who work in New York, Oregon, or Montana, make the highest salaries.

How much do Fallers make in each U.S. state?

State	Annual Mean Salary
Alabama	$44,320
Alaska	$59,680
Arkansas	$55,050
California	$56,720
Colorado	$29,650
Georgia	$42,570
Idaho	$43,170
Indiana	$53,620
Louisiana	$39,320
Maryland	$41,480
Massachusetts	$45,480
Michigan	$36,670
Minnesota	$45,010
Mississippi	$48,700
Missouri	$39,910
Montana	$65,560
New Hampshire	$45,240
New York	$63,040
North Carolina	$56,500
Ohio	$29,130
Oregon	$67,560
Pennsylvania	$33,170
Tennessee	$38,020
Texas	$50,220
Vermont	$40,810
Virginia	$42,120
Washington	$66,870
West Virginia	$38,620

What Tools do Fallers Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Fallers may use on a daily basis:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office
• ESRI ArcView
• BCS Woodlands Software The Logger Tracker

Becoming a Faller

Learn what Faller education requirements there are.

What work experience do I need to become a Faller?

Who Employs Fallers?

Below are examples of industries where Fallers work:

Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Those thinking about becoming a Faller might also be interested in the following careers:

• Helpers–Extraction Workers
• Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

References:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• College Factual
• O*NET Online

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More about our data sources and methodologies.