Fallers
Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.
3,130 people do this job in the US. $52,100 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 0%
- 0%
- 100%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 0%. Today's estimate: 0%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldozers.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 17% | 33 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Select trees to be cut down, assessing factors such as site, terrain, and weather conditions before beginning work.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 13% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 11% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 10% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Work as a member of a team, rotating between chain saw operation and skidder operation.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 8% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 29 min | Stays with people | |
| Trim off the tops and limbs of trees, using chainsaws, delimbers, or axes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Determine position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 10 min4 min to 21 min | Stays with people | |
| Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Maintain and repair chainsaws and other equipment, cleaning, oiling, and greasing equipment, and sharpening equipment properly.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Stays with people | |
| Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 2% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Tree Trimmers and Pruners3% now, 9% by 2028
- Logging Equipment Operators2% now, 2% by 2028
- Forest and Conservation Workers2% now, 2% by 2028
- Log Graders and Scalers6% now, 6% by 2028
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood8% now, 8% by 2028
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers0% now, 0% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).