[pct-l] Trail clearing with saws

Eric Lee saintgimp at hotmail.com
Tue Sep 25 13:25:01 CDT 2012


Janette wrote:
>
I am certified though training with the PCTA for Chainsaw, and went on my
first log-out in July by Pilot Rock. Because that is a wilderness area we
had to use Crosscut Saws, which I really enjoy using. They are easier to
carry, do not need the extra chains, etc... and very effective. We removed
approx 25 trees that were down across the trail, and now I actually prefer
to use crosscut.
>

I've worked a fair bit on crosscut teams and am PCTA certified for chainsaw.
I agree that a good crosscut saw with experienced team members is more
efficient than you'd think at first.  

The big advantage to chainsaws, in my mind, is that you can more easily
tackle complex jobs with tricky binds, etc.  Once you get the chainsaw to
the job site, each cut you make is practically free so there's no reason not
to cut up a log into little bitty pieces if that's what you need to do in
order to remove it in a safe manner.  By contrast, some crosscut teams I've
been on have put a lot of thought into doing the job with the absolute
minimum of cuts even if more cuts would make things more predictable.

Horses and chainsaws are a great combination, as I personally observed this
summer on my section hike in northern California.  I and a horse/chainsaw
crew were both moving northbound.  I caught up with them once in the
morning, but they past me again while I was getting water and they stayed
ahead of me the rest of the day.  Granted, there weren't a ton of downed
trees but there were more than a few and they plowed through them amazingly
fast.

Eric




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