How to hire fallers
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • 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. • Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct. • 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. • Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling. • Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes. • Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall. • Select trees to be cut down, assessing factors such as site, terrain, and weather conditions before beginning work. • Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong critical thinking and monitoring skills • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $25.05 an hour ($52,100 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for fallers
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to 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. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to 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. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What fallers do
- 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.
- Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct.
- 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.
- Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling.
- Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes.
- Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall.
- Select trees to be cut down, assessing factors such as site, terrain, and weather conditions before beginning work.
- Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for fallers
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: -9.9% over ten years, declining · about 500 openings a year (BLS)
Related hiring guides
- Tree Trimmers and Pruners
- Logging Equipment Operators
- Forest and Conservation Workers
- Log Graders and Scalers
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
- Rock Splitters, Quarry
- Forest and Conservation Technicians
- Agricultural Equipment Operators
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.