---
title: Felling Notch: The Wedge Cut That Starts a Tree's Fall
url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/felling-notch/
business: Battle Born Tree Service
address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701
phone: 775.232.8243
hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service
credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured
type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood)
---

- [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/)
- [Arborist glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/)
- Felling notch

# What is felling notch?

A felling notch is a wedge-shaped cut made in the side of a trunk to set the direction in which the tree will fall. It is the first cut in a conventional felling and works with a back cut to control the fall through the strip of wood left between them.

## What it does

The notch takes out a wedge on the face side of the trunk. When the back cut is made on the opposite side, the tree tips toward the notch, and the uncut wood between the two cuts, the [hinge wood](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/hinge-wood/), guides it as it goes. The notch's depth, angle and cleanness are what let a trained feller aim a tree within a few degrees.

This page explains the term, not the technique. Notch-and-back-cut work on a leaning, rotten or wind-loaded tree depends on the whole situation, and it can kill the person who guesses wrong.

## Why it matters in Northern Nevada

Open lots and acreage can allow a tree to be felled whole, as part of [lot clearing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/lot-clearing/) or removal. On a typical residential lot with houses, fences and wires within a tree's height, a tree is taken down in sections instead (see [sectional dismantling](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/sectional-dismantling/)) or lifted out by crane.

Reading the lean, the decay and the wind is where the skill is. A notch on a tree with a rotten core does not behave the way it should.

## What an arborist does about it

The arborist decides whether a tree can be felled whole and, if so, plans the direction (see [directional felling](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/directional-felling/)) and the escape. If anything stands in the way, the tree is not felled whole. Safety work follows ANSI Z133. Battle Born's crew does not hand out felling how-tos, and neither does this page: if a tree needs to come down, call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) for an estimate.

Hearing the word on an estimate or from a neighbor who has felled a tree before does not make it a skill to borrow. Dropped trees injure and kill experienced people every year, and the cut that looks simple depends on a dozen things you cannot see from the ground.

### Sources

- [International Society of Arboriculture, Trees Are Good: Why Hire an Arborist](https://www.treesaregood.org/Portals/0/TreesAreGood_Why%20Hire%20An%20Arborist_0321.pdf) (read October 17, 2026)

### Talk to the office

[775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243)

| Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered |

Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service.

[Free estimate](#quote)

### Keep reading

- [Arborist glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/)
- [ANSI Z133](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/ansi-z133/)
- [Tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-removal/)
- [Removing a tree in a tight backyard](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tree-removal-tight-backyard/)

## See also

[Hinge wood](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/hinge-wood/) [Directional felling](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/directional-felling/)