Fallers
Also called: Logger, Timber Cutter, Timber Faller, Tree FallerUse 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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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 9.9% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Logging workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.7 hires for every 10 job openings in mining and logging, which employs about 83% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | not published | not published | 80 |
| Arkansas | $67,060 | $54,910 to $68,640 | not published |
| California | $59,590 | $57,110 to $72,480 | 260 |
| Georgia | $39,380 | $36,240 to $44,460 | 170 |
| Idaho | $78,330 | $61,780 to $112,320 | 190 |
| Indiana | $26,210 | $26,210 to $58,570 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $62,040 | $47,150 to $62,040 | 200 |
| Maryland | $58,300 | $50,010 to $58,300 | 60 |
| Michigan | $51,700 | $38,180 to $53,540 | 410 |
| Mississippi | $54,110 | $41,360 to $77,710 | 140 |
| New York | $36,190 | $32,240 to $71,110 | 120 |
| North Carolina | $46,080 | $37,780 to $61,680 | 200 |
| Ohio | $47,700 | $40,670 to $59,350 | not published |
| Oregon | $84,490 | $52,630 to $131,840 | 180 |
| Pennsylvania | not published | not published | 80 |
| South Carolina | $76,350 | $62,400 to $88,400 | 130 |
| Tennessee | $47,560 | $36,180 to $51,320 | 80 |
| Virginia | $48,340 | $38,080 to $49,960 | 330 |
| Washington | $77,340 | $76,320 to $104,240 | not published |
| Wisconsin | $50,010 | $50,010 to $74,760 | not published |
Nationally: $52,100. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall. | Not published |
| Not much | Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls. | Not published |
| Not much | Clear brush from work areas and escape routes, and cut saplings and other trees from direction of falls, using axes, chainsaws, or bulldozers. | Not published |
| Not much | Appraise trees for certain characteristics, such as twist, rot, and heavy limb growth, and gauge amount and direction of lean, to determine how to control the direction of a tree's fall with the least damage. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure felled trees and cut them into specified log lengths, using chain saws and axes. | Not published |
| Not much | Insert jacks or drive wedges behind saws to prevent binding of saws and to start trees falling. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| Not much | Control the direction of a tree's fall by scoring cutting lines with axes, sawing undercuts along scored lines with chainsaws, knocking slabs from cuts with single-bit axes, and driving wedges. | Not published |
| Not much | Assess logs after cutting to ensure that the quality and length are correct. | Not published |
| AI alone | Determine position, direction, and depth of cuts to be made, and placement of wedges or jacks. | Not published |
| AI alone | Select trees to be cut down, assessing factors such as site, terrain, and weather conditions before beginning work. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain and repair chainsaws and other equipment, cleaning, oiling, and greasing equipment, and sharpening equipment properly. | Not published |
| Not much | Tag unsafe trees with high-visibility ribbons. | Not published |
| Not much | Trim off the tops and limbs of trees, using chainsaws, delimbers, or axes. | Not published |
| Not much | Mark logs for identification. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Place supporting limbs or poles under felled trees to avoid splitting undersides, and to prevent logs from rolling. | Not published |
| Not much | Work as a member of a team, rotating between chain saw operation and skidder operation. | Not published |
| Not much | Secure steel cables or chains to logs for dragging by tractors or for pulling by cable yarding systems. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 9 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #37 Determine operational methods or procedures
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut trees or other vegetation | |||
| Operate agricultural or forestry equipment | |||
| Determine operational methods or procedures | |||
| Mark materials or objects for identification | |||
| Evaluate production inputs or outputs | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment |
Show all 9 activities
| Perform agricultural activities |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for fallers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,005 moves out
- 1 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 22%
- 2 Marketing Managers Very high +6.9% 8%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 7%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 5 Computer Network Architects Very high +7.7% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 889 moves in
- 1 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 10%
- 2 Graphic Designers Very high -1.7% 7%
- 3 Marketing Managers Very high +6.9% 6%
- 4 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 6%
- 5 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 22% less than high school
- 58% high school
- 13% some college
- 2% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Logging workers” · 584 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Logging workers”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (LOGGER, ALLROUND). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Fallers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/45-4021.00