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Career

Fallers

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

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.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $52,100 Median per year · $25.05/hr Most earn $35,180–$82,360

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls.
  • Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling.
  • Mark logs for identification.
  • Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes.
  • Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldozers.
  • Place supporting limbs or poles under felled trees to avoid splitting undersides, and to prevent logs from rolling.

Job outlook

United States
10% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Logging54.2%
  • Self-employed (their own business)30.4%
  • Landscaping services10.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Fallers usually start with a high school diploma and learn on the job, so you can enter this career right after school. Most people build about 1 to 2 years of related experience first, often in forestry or logging work.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish school and take courses that build math, shop, and safety skills, which employers look for in tree and logging work.

  2. Forest and Conservation Worker

    1-2 years

    Work on crews doing planting, clearing, and trail or forest upkeep, where you learn tree types, tool safety, and teamwork in the woods.

  3. Faller

    Ongoing career

    Fell trees with axes and chainsaws, planning each cut so the tree falls where it's safe and planned, and avoiding damage to the trees around it.

Where it can lead

  1. Logging Crew Supervisor

    3-5 years of experience first

    You move from doing the cutting to planning crew work, assigning tasks, and keeping the site safe, which takes strong leadership and a deep knowledge of safety rules.

  2. Forest and Conservation Technician

    1-3 years of experience first

    You shift toward measuring forests, collecting data, and helping plan land care, which usually requires a certificate or extra training in forestry.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop, woodworking, or small engine classesThese teach you how to use and maintain cutting tools and equipment, which is a core part of felling work.
  • Take biology or environmental scienceLearning how trees grow and what makes them strong or weak helps you judge which way a tree will fall.
  • Get a summer or weekend job with a landscaping or tree-care crewHands-on work outdoors shows you whether you like the job and gives you early experience to list on applications.
  • Complete a first aid or CPR courseOutdoor cutting work is physically risky, and first aid skills make you more useful and safer on any crew.
  • Join FFA or a 4-H club, if your school has oneThese groups often include forestry or land management projects that teach practical outdoor skills and responsibility.

In college

  • Take forestry, natural resources, or horticulture coursesClasses on tree species, forest health, and land management give you a knowledge base that employers in forest work value.
  • Work a seasonal job on a forestry, logging, or tree-service crewA campus or summer job in the field builds real cutting experience and the 1-2 years of background this career usually expects.
  • Earn chainsaw or equipment safety trainingMany community colleges and employers offer chainsaw safety courses, and a certificate on your resume shows you take safety seriously.
  • Join a forestry or environmental clubStudent groups often run tree planting, trail work, or forest service events where you can meet working professionals.
  • Volunteer for trail clearing or storm cleanupVolunteer work outdoors shows experience with tools and teamwork, and it can lead to paid work with local crews.

Tips for getting started

  • Get comfortable with safety gear and training early, since employers value workers who follow chainsaw and fall-zone rules carefully.
  • Ask local tree crews, farms, or logging companies if they hire helpers or summer workers, because hands-on time in the woods is the best way to learn.
  • Learn basic first aid and get a driver's license, since many outdoor crews need both.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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