The undercut is the first cut a faller puts into the tree. It will be on the side of the tree that the tree will fall. The undercut must be high enough to give a clean break of the holding wood. The top and bottom slices of the undercut must be done carefully to avoid a barberchair or Dutchman.

There are two main types of undercuts done in North America. these are shown below:

Shown below is a faller cutting the undercut for a large cedar in Washington state. He is making sure to clean out the corners to avoid a Dutchman.