Felling rules in British Columbia: what Part 26 of the OHS Regulation says

This page reports what the named codes, regulators and makers say. It is not training and does not teach the work. This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It reports Part 26 of the British Columbia Occupational Health and Safety Regulation as published by WorkSafeBC and read on October 9, 2026. The courses that teach felling are in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country. The other countries are on the page on felling rules by country.

Which work Part 26 reaches

Part 26 is titled forestry operations, and the regulation defines a forestry operation as a workplace where work is done in relation to silviculture or harvesting trees. Section 26.20.1 says sections 26.21 to 26.29, the manual falling and bucking rules, apply only to manual falling and bucking activities. A separate section, 26.2.1, covers pruning, repairing, maintaining, bucking or manually falling trees, and taking trees down in pieces, at a workplace that is not a forestry operation and where the work is not tree climbing. The regulation lists that section as enacted with effect from December 1, 2021. It says the employer ensures such work is planned and carried out according to the plan. The plan names the hazards and risks, says how they are eliminated or reduced to the lowest level practicable, is communicated to each worker before the work starts and is documented when it is made. If the circumstances change and create a new known or foreseeable hazard, the plan is amended, the change is passed to each affected worker before it is put in place and it is documented as soon as practicable. All of this is on the WorkSafeBC Part 26 page.

Qualification and supervision

Section 26.21 says a worker does not fall trees, or do bucking tied to falling, unless the worker is qualified to a standard acceptable to the Board and the work is within the worker's documented and demonstrated capabilities. It excepts a worker in a falling or bucking training program acceptable to the Board.
Section 26.22 says that in a forestry operation a faller must be trained and certified in writing as competent. The listed training is at least 30 days one-on-one with a qualified faller or trainer, an examination in front of a qualified supervisor or trainer, and then work as a trainee faller under close supervision for 180 days, or a shorter period if the supervisor or trainer is satisfied the worker is competent. The supervisor evaluates the trainee weekly and keeps records. A worker who has fallen regularly for at least 2 years, passes an evaluation and an examination and is certified in writing is excepted from the training steps.
Section 26.22.1 says a qualified supervisor is designated for all falling and bucking in a forestry operation, inspects each faller's workplace at intervals suited to the risks and keeps a record.
Section 26.28 says qualified assistance is readily available to fallers in case of difficulty, emergency or injury, and fallers and buckers have an effective means to summon assistance. Section 26.23 lists checking the well-being of each faller and bucker at least every half hour and at the end of the shift among the written procedures.

The WorkSafeBC guideline G26.21-1, issued March 9, 2012 with an editorial revision on October 28, 2015, says section 26.21 applies to workers who fall trees in operations other than forestry, and sets out the standard WorkSafeBC accepts for utility arborists and arborist technicians. It has two parts: completion of the SkilledTradesBC approved training program including the modules on falling and bucking, which combines classroom training with a minimum number of hours of work experience, and a successful assessment by a qualified supervisor trainer arranged through HortEducation.ca. The guideline says WorkSafeBC will review other courses put forward. Guideline G26.28 explains that a difficulty is a situation where advice or assistance is needed before work can go on but the case is not urgent, an emergency is a situation needing urgent action to prevent or control a hazard, and an injury is any incident needing first aid. Both guidelines are on the WorkSafeBC Part 26 guidelines page.

Written safe work practices

Section 26.23 says fallers and buckers are given, and follow, written safe work practices acceptable to the Board for their type of work. The list of what the practices cover is: minimum and maximum distances between fallers and other workers, planning and constructing escape routes, controlling the fall of trees, minimizing unnecessary brushing, dealing with dangerous trees, bucking trees and logs, mechanical assistance to fall trees, summoning and rendering assistance, special or innovative harvesting techniques, and the well-being checks. The same section defines brushing as the striking of a standing tree by a tree being felled, where the blow is enough to break branches at or near the stem.

The falling rules in section 26.24

Before a tree is felled, all workers are clear of a radius of 2 tree lengths around it, and all obstructions are cleared and a safe escape route to a predetermined safe position is prepared.
A tree is not felled if it could strike a stationary or running line of operational equipment.
The falling procedures listed are a sufficient undercut, complete and cleaned out; sufficient holding wood; a backcut higher than the undercut to give a step on the stump; and wedging tools immediately available, with wedges set unless the tree has a pronounced favourable lean. The regulation defines holding wood as the hinge of wood left uncut between the back of the undercut and the backcut.
When a tree starts to fall, the faller and any other worker present move quickly to a predetermined safe position at least 3 m (10 ft) from the base where possible, and take cover if available.
A tree is not used to bring down another partly cut tree in succession unless it is needed to overcome a specific falling difficulty. Where it is, only one tree is used, only the trees needed are partly cut and a wedge is driven into the backcut of each.
If snow is packed or shovelled to reduce stump height, the depression at the base of the tree is no deeper than 45 cm (18 in.).

Dangerous and partly cut trees

Section 26.11 says that where work is known or reasonably foreseeable to expose a worker to a dangerous tree, the tree is felled or a person who has completed a training program acceptable to the Board makes a risk assessment, and its recommendations are put in place before the work starts. Section 26.25 says falling or bucking does not start if the tree or log would pose a reasonably foreseeable risk to a worker or if it appears it cannot be completely felled. A partly cut tree that is bypassed or left is clearly marked, other work in the hazard area stops until it is felled, any worker who could enter the area is alerted and the supervisor is notified. Section 26.26 says dangerous trees are felled where practicable with the falling of other timber and into open areas, in the direction of lean whenever possible, with pushing by a green tree only to overcome a falling difficulty and wedging over only when there is no alternative and after a careful assessment. Falling, bucking or limbing in an area made hazardous by a dangerous tree does not go ahead until that tree is felled.

Elsewhere in Canada, Part 39 of the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code says it applies to arboriculture activities that involve pruning, repairing, maintaining or removing trees or cutting brush when a worker works at height and depends on the tree for support. Its section 793 says the employer develops and carries out safe work practices that include hazard assessment, worker training, equipment selection and maintenance, work positioning and fall protection systems, and emergency rescue. The text is on the Alberta Part 39 page.

Section 26.27 says a faller on an elevation or steep slope that poses a risk is given and uses a fall protection system that does not impede the move to the safe position, and a faller does not work supported solely by a lifeline and harness. Section 26.29 says only a worker with duties tied to the falling may enter an active falling area, after notifying the faller and waiting for the faller's word that it is safe.