I got to spend some quality time with my chainsaw over the holidays while I killed a few birds with one stone: I cleared out some trees down by the barn to make some room and I started working on firewood for the 2011-2012 heating season.
I had to take down a few pine trees to get at the maples and oaks but that's OK since I need the room anyway.
A couple years ago, I hosted two logging/chainsaw safety classes at my house and learned a lot about safely bringing down trees, dealing with leaners, and de-limbing them. The course is called "The Game of Logging". The idea is that if you make cutting down trees into a game with points, people will focus on getting the points but at the same time reinforce safety habits. I think that philosophy actually works.
I've done the first two levels of training, which you can read about here.
Turns out my score on the stump isn't that great. I didn't have a tape measure with me so I made my hinge too wide which caused all the other point losses. Here's a rundown on my score (10 points is the highest score):
| Criteria | Score | |
| 70 degree or greater notch | yes | 2 pts |
| Hinge thickness should be 2.68 | 1.5 inches - no | 0 pts |
| Notch cuts meet | yes | 2 pts |
| Fiber pull less than 3" | 3.5" - no | 0 pts |
| Level back-cut (+/- 1.5" | 1.5" - yes | 2 pts |
| Total | 6 pts |
So even though the tree feel exactly where I wanted it to, I still didn't get all the points I could for it. I will say, though, that I didn't violate any of the long list of safety criteria.
Let me wrap up by pointing out that while I have been going to the gym regularly since November, no gym work-out can match dropping, limbing, and bucking up trees for sheer cardiac load. It's a blast and it feels great!
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