Definition: or felling cut: The last of the three cuts required to fall a tree. Located on the opposite side of the tree from the face and minimally 1" above the horizontal cut of the face. The 1" is referred to as stump shot and prevents the tree from kicking back over the stump toward the faller. The backcut must never be continued to a point at which no holding wood remains.
Backcut
By Steve Nix, About.com
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