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Hazard Tree – Felling Safety Tips

 

Felling a hazard tree requires accurate risk assessment and complexity analysis, and demands the sawyer’s full situational awareness. In all cases, remember to establish and maintain a secure felling area.

Do not bypass hazard trees without taking some action such as felling or establishing a No-Work-Zone.

Degree of hazard varies with tree size, species, and type/location of defect:

  • Stem defects resulting in tree failure, i.e., collapse.
  • Weakened sapwood resulting in loss of control when falling trees & limits solid wood for wedging.
  • Overhead hazards, i.e., dead or hanging limbs falling on the faller.

Line art of a snag tree with bare branches

Indicators of potential felling hazards:

Dead Limbs: limbs of all sizes and species with decay evident cracking, or loose, hung-up limbs. Avoid working under overhead hazards.

Witches Broom: caused by mistletoe infection, limbs can grow very large and heavy (200+ lbs).

Split Trunk: cracked trunk from frost, lightning, or wind. Visible evidence of advanced decay indicates serious weakness where the tree could fail.

Stem Damage: caused by windfall, scarring, fire, machine, and animal damage, as well as heart rot diseases.

Thick Sloughing Bark or Sloughing Sapwood: usually found on dead trees. Loose bark on Douglas fir or loose sapwood on wind snapped cedars can dislodge during falling.

Butt and Stem Cankers: usually found on deciduous trees but can occur on Douglas fir and pine. The infected areas weaken the stem.

Fungal Fruiting Bodies or Conks: found on stems it may indicate massive interior rot 1-2 yards above and below conk. Excessive resinosis (resin flow) also indicates heart or root diseases.

Heavy Tree Lean: may be caused by damaged roots or lifting root mats, shallow or wet soils. In some cases, the tree may have corrected itself which can be determined by looking for corrected top growth.

Root Condition: look for any ground cracks around the base of the tree, signs of decay or fungal conks on the roots.

Cat Face: look for enough solid wood to construct an effective undercut and back cut.

References:

Category
Felling Safety

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NWCG Latest Announcements

RMC Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters

Date:  May 28, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Risk Management Committee

The Risk Management Committee (RMC) has issued Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters. Research from 2016 to 2025 shows that 88 cases of rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) were reported. Analysis of reports from eSafety, the Safety Management Information System (SMIS), and the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC) indicates that rhabdo is common during this time of year due to Work Capacity Tests and contributing factors such as weather, hydration, nutrition, and medication or supplement use.

RMC issued this safety bulletin to raise awareness in the Wildland Fire Community, and to provide research findings and educational resources that support reducing future cases of rhabdo.

References:

NWCG Alerts

RMC Safety Bulletin 26-001: Rhabdomyolysis in Wildland Firefighters

NEW! D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder Course Available Now

Date:  May 15, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Dispatch Position and Curriculum Management Subcommittee

NWCG is pleased to announce the new D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder (Instructor-led) course is now available on the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP). Developed through the National Coordination System Committee, this course introduces the structure and function of expanded dispatch, the qualities of an effective dispatcher, and provides hands-on experience with the Interagency Resource Ordering Capability (IROC) system. 

The D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder course aligns with the competencies and duties outlined in the NWCG Incident Position Standards for Expanded Dispatch Recorder, PMS 350-59, and is designed for individuals with no prior experience who may be called upon to support dispatch operations.

References:

D-110, Expanded Dispatch Recorder (Instructor-Led)

Expanded Dispatch Recorder (EDRC), Position Page

NWCG Incident Position Standards for Expanded Dispatch Recorder, PMS 350-59

Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Leadership Committee IAP Flyer Now Available

Date:  May 8, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Leadership Committee

The NWCG Leadership Committee promotes and enables leadership development across the wildland fire service. The committee provides education, training opportunities, and support for leadership innovation and best practices throughout the community.

A new IAP flyer is now available on the committee website, offering an overview of the products, curriculum, and learning opportunities the Leadership Committee develops. This resource is ideal for posting in your office, sharing with new employees, or distributing through your incident management teams to engage new voices in the leadership journey and reinforce a culture of self‑reflection, development, and growth.

References:

Leadership Committee 2026 IAP Flyer

Incident Operations Subcommittee Updates the Next Generation Position Task Book for FFT1

Date:  May 7, 2026
Questions? 
Please contact: Incident Operations Subcommittee

The NWCG Incident Operations Subcommittee (IOSC) has updated the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) (FFT1), PMS 311‑14. The FFT1 Position Task Book transitioned to the Next Generation (Next Gen PTB) format in June 2025 through the Incident Performance and Training Modernization effort. Since then, IOSC has received feedback from the wildland fire community regarding coding for one of the tasks. Task #13 has been updated to include the option of evaluation in a simulation.

See IOSC Memorandum 26‑01: Transition Plan for Implementation of Updates to the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1 (Squad Boss) (FFT1), PMS 311‑14 for more information.

References:

IOSC Memorandum 26-01: Transition Plan for Implementation of Updates to the NWCG Position Task Book for Firefighter Type 1

NWCG Firefighter Type 1 Squad Boss Position Page