Chainsaw Safety Checklist for Small Woodland Owners

Owning a few acres of woodland is a privilege, and now and then a job of work. A windblown birch across the track, a sycamore leaning over the shed, a stack of logs to buck up. Out comes the chainsaw, used perhaps half a dozen times a year. That pattern — low frequency, high consequence — is exactly why a written routine earns its keep. Full-time cutters run through the same checks every morning because those checks work. Here is a version to keep in the shed.

Start with what you are wearing

The saw takes no account of how much experience you have. Protective clothing is the one part of chainsaw work where the kit does the saving, and the trousers are the heart of it: the fibres are designed to jam the chain and stall the saw before it reaches your leg. Buy them, wear them every time, and inspect them for damage before you leave the house.

Forestry helmet, done up properly, with mesh visor and ear defenders.
Chainsaw trousers rated for the bar length of your saw — check the label rather than assuming.
Boots with deep tread and ankle support. Cut-resistant chainsaw boots are worth the outlay if you cut more than a few times a year.
Close-fitting gloves with grip. Wet hands slip, and slipping hands cause accidents.
Nothing loose: no hoods, no dangling cords, no scarf, no untucked shirt tails.

Keep a first aid kit within reach, with a large trauma dressing in it, and a charged phone in a zipped pocket. If you have never done a forestry first aid course, book one. A small wood is a long way from help.

The two-minute pre-start check

Work through it the same way every time, with the saw on a bench or a stump rather than on the ground.

Fuel. Fresh petrol and oil mixed at the manufacturer's ratio. Stale mix from last winter starts badly, runs hot and gives you a saw that stalls mid-cut.
Bar oil. Full, and the right grade for the season.
Chain tension. With the engine cold, the chain should sit snug against the bar but still pull round by hand with light resistance.
Chain brake. Engine off, push the brake forward and check it locks the chain solid. Release it and check it moves freely.
Chain condition. Sharp teeth, no cracked or missing rivets, depth gauges not filed flat.
Nuts and casing. Bar nuts tight, anti-vibration mounts intact, no cracks in the housing, no fuel weeping from the cap.
Controls. Kill switch, throttle trigger, trigger lock and choke all moving freely.

Start the saw on firm, level ground with it braced, never waving it around at arm's length. Once it is warm, blip the throttle against a stump or a piece of card to confirm oil is being thrown, then test the brake again at low revs.

Kickback, and how to keep it away from you

Kickback happens when the nose of the bar touches wood, or when the cut pinches and grabs the chain. The saw snaps upward and back towards you faster than you can react. It is the reason both hands stay on the handles, and the reason chain sharpness, brake condition and your stance all matter more than they seem to.

Cut with the underside of the bar, using the pulling side of the chain, wherever the job allows.
Keep an eye on the nose of the bar. Never let it touch anything.
Both hands on the handles, thumbs wrapped, even for a skinny branch.
Never cut above shoulder height — overreaching puts your face in line with the bar.
Keep the chain sharp. A dull chain makes you push and lean, which is when trouble starts.
Think about pinching before you cut. On a limb under tension, work out which way it will spring, and use a wedge or a relieving cut rather than force.

If you cannot see the tip of the bar, you are not in a position to cut.

Read the tree, not just the trunk

Walk round it. Look up, then look down. You are checking for lean, for dead wood overhead that will drop when the tree moves, for rot at the base, fungal brackets, splits and old wounds. Check the root plate too: if the ground has lifted on one side, the tree is already halfway over. Then look at what it will land on — shed, fence, footpath, phone line, boundary hedge, your own trailer.

Look as well for what is hidden in the wood: wire, nails, fence staples, stones in the base. Any of them will wreck a chain and send a chain back at you. Overhead cables deserve a hard stop; if a tree is anywhere near one, speak to the network operator rather than working under it.

Two escape routes, cleared before you start

Pick two ways out, roughly 45 degrees either side of the direction of fall — not straight back, which is where a trunk tends to go when it kicks. Clear them of brash, brambles and trip hazards, then walk one of them so your feet know the way when you are moving quickly. Agree with anyone helping you where they will stand, and make sure they know the signal to stop.

If the tree is leaning heavily, hollow at the base, hung up in another crown, or simply much bigger than your bar, that is a job for a contractor. Small woods do not reward bravado.