Drop 6” to 8” live standing tree with a bow saw - PEP BB woodland.sand.livebow

Felling the live tree went much better than felling a dead tree.

Fell this tree for a woodworking BB. It was kind of an after thought so no wedge cut pic. Nbd if it doesn’t count.

Steve Thorn wrote:This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in woodland care.

This project will be dropping a 6” to 8” live standing tree with hand tools (bow saw, cross cut saw, axe, etc)..



Harvested live trees make great material for building things like in the round wood woodworking PEP Badge!

Green trees are especially easy to peel and carve.  Green trees are also good for the sawmill.

When selecting a tree to drop, select a tree from a spot that has too many trees and/or the tree has a defect (so we don't want it to have baby defective trees).   If the tree is a nice looking tree, but is crowded, take a smaller tree.

This video demonstrates felling a tree with a bow saw and points out a few safety considerations.

Here's another shorter video.

Be safe when using hand tools and felling trees, be aware of your surroundings and the falling tree and above canopy, work at your own risk, and enjoy cutting stuff!

To get certified for this BB, post pics or video showing:  

- Your chosen tree
- Tree with the wedge/notch cut
- Tree on the ground
- Measurement across the stump showing diameter

This was certainly a fun bb to complete and my first time utilizing a bow saw .... live tree was approximately 100 from the love shack ...