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Fallers: Job 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.

What Do Fallers Do?

The day-to-day responsibilities of fallers cover:

• 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.
• Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldozers.
• Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes.
• Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct.
• Determine position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks.
• 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.

Skills and Knowledge

Successful fallers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Top Knowledge Areas

Related Job Titles

Common job titles for this role include:

• All-Round Logger
• Arborist
• Arborist Assistant
• Arborist Climber
• Arborist Representative
• Axman
• Certified Arborist
• Chain Saw Operator

Job Outlook

There are roughly 47,788 fallers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +2.9% over the projection horizon.

Salary for Fallers

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$29,983
Hourly median	$14.42
10th percentile	$21,113
25th percentile	$25,548
75th percentile	$34,419
90th percentile	$38,854

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Pay by State

State	Annual median salary
Oregon	$84,770
Washington	$76,220
Idaho	$73,700
Arkansas	$64,170
California	$62,020
Indiana	$61,140
South Carolina	$60,050
Maryland	$58,570
Minnesota	$58,260
Alabama	$57,090
New Hampshire	$56,920
Montana	$55,890
Ohio	$53,900
Michigan	$52,010
North Carolina	$51,860
Mississippi	$51,790
Wisconsin	$49,840
Tennessee	$47,850
Virginia	$47,070
Pennsylvania	$43,470
Colorado	$43,440
Georgia	$38,970
New York	$35,820

Pay by U.S. Region

Earnings for fallers differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
Far Western US	$74,185	22.8%	2.60
New England	$56,920	1.3%	2.02
Great Lakes	$52,855	18.1%	3.83
Rocky Mountains	$51,221	2.7%	2.34
Southeast	$49,326	52.7%	3.40
Middle Atlantic	$43,470	2.3%	0.44

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Fallers

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Medford, OR	OR	$135,600	30
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	OR	$84,590	50
Boise City, ID	ID	$61,940
Richmond, VA	VA	$47,120	50
Lynchburg, VA	VA	$46,140	40

Top Industries Employing Fallers

Most fallers work in these industries:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	2,620	$56,980
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	1,140	$52,890

Below are examples of industries where fallers work:

Software Fallers Use

• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

What the Workplace Is Like

The work environment for fallers reflects the following characteristics:

• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
• Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
• Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
• Freedom to Make Decisions

Education and Training

Entry-level fallers positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Related Careers

Similar Occupations

• Foresters (Supplemental)
• Forest and Conservation Technicians (Primary-Long)
• Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (Primary-Long)
• Tree Trimmers and Pruners (Primary-Short)
• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers (Supplemental)
• Agricultural Equipment Operators (Primary-Long)
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (Primary-Long)
• Forest and Conservation Workers (Primary-Short)

About the Data

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 45-4021.00 (Fallers).