The forest saw and the chainsaw

Forestry has always been hard physical work. Until around 1950, forest workers used axes and forest saws to fell trees and shorten trunks. Then the chainsaw came along, and the work became more efficient, but also more dangerous.

In the late 1800s, the forest saw was one of the most widely used tools for working in the forest. The saw was used by two men, one at each end, so forest workers always worked in pairs. It was used to fell trees and saw them up into shorter pieces. In the 1950s, the first chainsaws were introduced, and forestry work became more efficient. It was still common to work in pairs, not least for safety reasons.

After a selected tree was felled, the wood was divided into different assortments, depending on what it was to be used for. Thin branches and twigs became kindling, thick branches became firewood, and the trunks were sawn up at sawmills so that the wood could be used for, for example, furniture, floorboards, and roof rafters, depending on the type of wood and quality.

The introduction of machinery in forestry, mechanization, meant more dangerous work. Felling trees requires good planning to avoid accidents at work, and when the first chainsaws were produced, little thought was given to occupational safety. The chainsaws lacked a chain brake, which could cause severe cutting injuries. They vibrated heavily and had cold metal handles, so you got "white fingers", that is, numb fingers. The noise level was high, and they emitted exhaust gases that smelled bad. Safety equipment such as cutting trousers, helmets and hearing protection only came into use from the late 1960s, and has become more and more advanced to this day. For example, forest workers today wear cutting trousers with Kevlar inserts. This is the same material that bulletproof vests are made of!

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