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45-4021.00 · Task explorer

Fallers: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

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

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This source lists 17 tasks, including 13 marked Core and 4 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2026.

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17 tasks shown

Core · Task 13486 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall.

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Core · Task 13491 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

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.

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Core · Task 13484 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls.

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Core · Task 13493 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Select trees to be cut down, assessing factors such as site, terrain, and weather conditions before beginning work.

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Core · Task 13488 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes.

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Core · Task 13495 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling.

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Core · Task 13489 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct.

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Core · Task 13485 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

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.

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Core · Task 13487 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldozers.

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Core · Task 13496 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Tag unsafe trees with high-visibility ribbons.

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Core · Task 13490 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Determine position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks.

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Core · Task 13494 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Maintain and repair chainsaws and other equipment, cleaning, oiling, and greasing equipment, and sharpening equipment properly.

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Core · Task 13492 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Trim off the tops and limbs of trees, using chainsaws, delimbers, or axes.

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Supplemental · Task 13499 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Mark logs for identification.

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Supplemental · Task 13501 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Place supporting limbs or poles under felled trees to avoid splitting undersides, and to prevent logs from rolling.

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Supplemental · Task 13497 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Secure steel cables or chains to logs for dragging by tractors or for pulling by cable yarding systems.

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Supplemental · Task 13500 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Work as a member of a team, rotating between chain saw operation and skidder operation.

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Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
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The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.