Fallers
What they do
Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.
Expected pay range
Expected pay range
This represents the median earnings for this career in the selected county or state. In the range shown, 25% of workers earned less than the bottom salary and 25% earned more than the top salary. Data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
About fallers
Other titles
Cutter Operator, Logger, Sawyer, Timber Cutter, Timber Faller, Tree Faller, Tree Feller, Tree Topper
Tasks they perform
- 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.
- Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall.
Skills they need
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- 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.
- Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Equipment Selection - Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Licenses and Certifications
How to decide which one is right? That depends on an individual’s career path, specialty, and resources.
Certifications
Certifications may be available for this career and can help build knowledge and skills in specific job roles. Explore available certifications (external link opens new tab)
Similar careers
View careers in the same field as fallers.
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Rock Splitters, Quarry
Better pay
Median salary for this career is higher than the median salary of all careers in the county selected. Salary data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
In demand
In demand careers have high-growth, high-demand, and emerging jobs critical to Texas. They are based on economic indicators like in demand industries, labor market trends, and economic conditions, provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Additional career information and resources
Learn more about fallers with these helpful sites.
- American Forest and Paper Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Loggers Council (external link opens new tab)
- Forest Resources Association (external link opens new tab)
- Northeastern Loggers Association (external link opens new tab)
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Logging workers (external link opens new tab)