If you've ever been required to chop down a tree for firewood or other wood-related reasons, then you know how much of a pain it can be. You have to climb up the tree, get in close and get your arm into the wound to hold the saw. Then, the branch breaks and you're forced to drop the ax, or you could damage your hand or arm if you happen to lean over and miss the hole completely. But aside from all that, there are a few important safety issues that you should be aware of when chopping down trees.
First of all, there is safety issue number one, which is that if you don't have a properly fitted axe for the job, you could find yourself falling when cutting down trees. When you use an axe with a bad wooden handle, it can easily break the skin on your hands or arms, especially if you happen to accidentally hit your fingers or wrists. When you are cutting down a tree in such a situation, it is easy to lose your balance and fall. So, always use a strong axe with a good wooden handle, not a breakable plastic one.
A second major issue is that your eyes are very likely to be injured when cutting down trees. It's hard to estimate how far you might fall when you're using a saw that isn't balanced and designed for this type of work. Some people make the mistake of trying to rely on their eyes instead of feeling the weight of the saw as it moves down the tree. Falling can happen at any moment and is even possible when the person is too tired to move after cutting down a few trees.
Thirdly, there is the issue of animal crossing. Some people are trained to always assume that animals are going to cross over the path of their axes. However, this isn't always the case, and unfortunately, if an animal decides to cross over your path without having an opportunity to cross over first, then you can end up seriously injured, or worse, killed by an animal.
The last issue is related to safety. If you are chopping down trees in dense forest, you need to have either proper training or permission from a local government agency. This is especially true if you are chopping down old growth trees, which are considered a threat to the local environment. You also need to consider the potential risk of cutting down a large tree and seeing falling branches crash down onto the head of an approaching vehicle.
When you are looking at cutting down trees without axe, take into consideration what the trees will be used for once they have been chopped. Are they being used for structural support of buildings and roads? Are they used to provide wildlife habitat? Or are they simply left in the woods to decompose?