Woodlot Safety

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You don't have to spend much time in a woodlot to learn that a chain saw is one dangerous tool — far more dangerous than the much maligned gun. Because the dangers inherent in operating a chain saw can he foreseen the most important safety precaution is to stay alert, Concentrate, and always expect the unexpected Quit working when You fail tired, extremely hot or cold, hungry, or frustrated, no matter how badly you need the firewood or the income from its SAC. Fatigue and frustration reduce your alertness and increase the chance that kickback or a bouncing tree will catch that kickback or a bouncing tree will catch you by surprise.

SAFETY TIP: Unless you're a professional, the bar of your chain saw should be one to two inches longer than the largest diameter of a tree you expect to cut through.

Safe Clothing

Start thinking about safety from the moment you get dressed in the morning. Select clothing that's warm but not bulky or baggy. A guide bar as short as 16 inches has about 25 razor-sharp teeth revolving at approximately 50 feet per second—teeth that are eager to grab a sleeve, shirttail, or pant leg and chew through to bare skin. Avoid this source of injury by avoiding loose clothing.

Wear a pair of especially sturdy pants. Some woodcutters wear jeans. I prefer Carhartt bib overalls, made of exceptionally heavy fabric that's doubled along the thighs and knees. Although they cost about $32 a pair, they last twice as long as any other pants I've worn in the woods. Even if you don't snag your pants on a saw tooth, working in the woods still wears pants out pretty fast. A pair of chaps, at $60, both saves wear and tear on your clothing and protects your legs against a close encounter with a whirling saw chain.

In cold weather, keep your upper body warm with several layers of clothing so you can take something off as the day warms, and put it back on toward evening when the weather cools. You'll fatigue less quickly if you maintain a comfortable body temperature.

During hunting season, top your outfit with an orange safety vest and cap. As little sense as it makes, some people who take a gun into the woods aren't hunters but shooters—they shoot at anything that moves. Furthermore, deer aren't frightened by the sound of a chain saw. Rather, curiosity attracts them to the noise. Deer, in turn, attract shooters.