What Does it Take to Be a Faller?

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

A Day in the Life of a Faller

• Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls.
• 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.
• Determine position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks.
• Secure steel cables or chains to logs for dragging by tractors or for pulling by cable yarding systems.
• Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct.
• Maintain and repair chainsaws and other equipment, cleaning, oiling, and greasing equipment, and sharpening equipment properly.

Things a Faller Should Know How to Do

When polled, Fallers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

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

• High Climber
• Bucker
• Feller Buncher Operator
• Timber Cutter
• Cutter Operator

Is There Job Demand for Fallers?

In the United States, there were 7,500 jobs for Faller in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Faller. The BLS estimates 800 yearly job openings in this field.

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.

Do Fallers Make A Lot Of Money?

Fallers make between $27,080 and $78,500 a year.

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 & Technology 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

How to Become a Faller

Learn what Faller education requirements there are.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Faller?

Where Fallers Are Employed

Below are examples of industries where Fallers work:

Similar Careers

Those interested in being a Faller may also be interested in:

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

References:

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

Image Credit: via

More about our data sources and methodologies.