What is a Faller?
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.
List of Faller Job Duties
- Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct.
- 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.
- Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling.
- Work as a member of a team, rotating between chain saw operation and skidder operation.
- Split logs, using axes, wedges, and mauls, and stack wood in ricks or cord lots.
- Maintain and repair chainsaws and other equipment, cleaning, oiling, and greasing equipment, and sharpening equipment properly.
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What a Faller Should Know
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.
Types of Faller
- Utility Arborist
- Logger
- All-Round Logger
- Skidder Operator
- Choker Setter
What Kind of Faller Job Opportunities Are There?
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. 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?
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 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Fallers
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
What education or degrees do I need to become a Faller?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Fallers Work

The table below shows the approximate number of Fallers employed by various industries.

Related 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:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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