Quote Originally Posted by Trailweaver View Post
I didn't see this mentioned, but one reason I can certainly think of why a power saw wouldn't be a good idea in the backwoods is that accidents happen. . . I know two men personally who have had horrific chain saw accidents. One lost his thumb and is no longer able to work at his chosen profession, and he was a young man when it happened. If you have a serious accident miles from a trailhead, with hours to go before you can get to a hospital, you can bleed out and die. Let's face it. . . you are much more likely to have an accident with serious consequences using a chain saw than you would be using a crosscut saw.
Any chainsaw work done on the AT by a paid employees or volunteers require that the they had to have have taken and passed recent chainsaw training. They are required to use chainsaw chaps eye protection and helmet. Its a two day 16 hour training with classroom and practical session plus a required 8 hour update every 2 years. They also need recent first aid training. Yes a chainsaw can be potentially hazardous tool but proper training and procedures can substantially reduce that risk. Axe work and crosscut saw work but both have hazards as there is lot of stored energy in a typical blowdown no matter what method is used to remove it. Trail clearing is generally not like production chainsaw work or firewood, each tree has to be analyzed to determine where the stored energy is and how that stored energy may be released safely.

Hours of exposure needs to be factored in, properly used chainsaws by trained crews can substantially reduce the number or hours required to reopen and restore the trail to safe condition. I have worked with trained chainsaw crews in the past dealing with extensive blowdown and the saws rarely run continuously, even with 8 man crew (two sawyers and 6 swampers), far more time is done planning the cut than actually cutting.

Note the media tends to portray chainsaw use poorly, many of the fake reality shows are really scripted and a standard shot is of a poorly or unequipped individual taking risks with a chainsaw usually with the show going to commercial cut at the most dramatic moment and then usually the actor making a comment to the effect "gee that was close" Rarely do I see basic safety gear being used and the bar lengths used tend to be overkill. It makes for good video and more viewers but sets real a bad example. Bore cuts and Z cuts both are far less dramatic.

The vast majority of severe chainsaw accidents are the result of lack of basic safety gear and training, its been proven in industry and government. My former employer worked with the inventor of the modern kevlar based chaps, they still had logging injuries but their chainsaw injuries went close to zero. They collected chaps that had been damaged by chainsaw hits and every damaged $100 chap with a slice in it was a substitute for potentially weeks off the job of loss of life.