Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. CareerOneStop's licensing data records no state license for Fallers, which usually means it is not a licensed occupation. Requirements can still vary by employer and state.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Forest, conservation, and logging workers", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 290.1 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 10 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Farming, fishing, and forestry", which includes this career, 2.4% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to fallers.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Natural resources, construction, and maintenance", which includes this career, 74% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 79% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 78% had paid sick leave, 86% paid vacation and 89% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to fallers, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $48.59 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Natural resources, construction, and maintenance" in June 2026 ($32.96 in wages and salaries and $15.63 in benefits, 32.2% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to fallers in the work done and the skills used: Tree Trimmers and Pruners, Logging Equipment Operators, Forest and Conservation Workers, Log Graders and Scalers, Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Rock Splitters, Quarry (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare fallers with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →