Woodcutting (often abbreviated as WC or WCing) is a skill that involves players chopping down different types of trees and vegetation. It is one of the most popular non-combat skills for free play users. For each tree, a minimum Woodcutting level is required, and a hatchet that is used to cut it. With each level up, a player will be able to cut trees faster than previously. Woodcutting is one of the easiest skills to get level 99 in after the choking Ivy and the Sawmill update.
Many players use this skill to cut yew trees, which is one of the few logs that are profitable. It can also be used for Firemaking and Fletching. There are a wide range of trees ranging from normal trees to magic trees.
In comparison to Mining , Woodcutting is a much easier skill for players to train and get level 99. Mining becomes more profitable as it is trained to higher levels, but requires more user input (clicking on rocks), while also being slow to train. Woodcutting generates little money at low levels and is, like Mining, increasingly profitable at high levels. Unfortunately, according to the free-to-play Money making guides on this wiki, cutting Yews generates half of the profit that mining Runite ore does. Keep in mind that Woodcutting is still a lower input and faster training skill than Mining, sparing a player an enormous amount of effort for a decent player
As a player chops down a tree of a certain type, the corresponding type of logs will appear in their inventory. The player can then light the logs with a tinderbox (or with a bow if the player is a member who has completed Barbarian Training) to raise their Firemaking skill, cut them with a knife and make them into bows using the Fletching skill in members, or sell them to other players for money. This makes Firemaking and Fletching highly related to and dependent on woodcutting.
A player chopping a tree using Woodcutting.
In order to chop a tree, a player will need to have a hatchet that they can use (which was previously known as an axe but was changed in 2009 to help distinguish between battleaxes, pickaxes and Woodcutting axes.) Hatchets can be wielded in the weapon slot, in order to gather more wood in the inventory provided players have a high enough Attack level to use the type of metal the hatchet is, as it is still considered a weapon.
Hatchets can be bought from Bob's store (located in Lumbridge), bought from the Grand Exchange, or smithed by players using the Smithing skill (except for black, sacred clay, and dragon hatchets, as well as the Inferno Adze, which cannot be smithed). However, Bob only sells bronze, iron, and steel hatchets. Bronze hatchets are actually given for free as a demo. Players will have to buy better hatchets from other players, buy them from the Grand Exchange, or smith the hatchets themselves. The Inferno Adze is a reward from the All Fired Up activity. Sacred clay hatchets may only be obtained from the Stealing Creation activity. Currently, the Dragon hatchet and the Inferno Adze are the best hatchets in the game.
To chop down a given variety of tree, players will need a certain Woodcutting level and a hatchet which they are able to use(this depends on Attack level and Wood Cutting level). For example, a player will need a Woodcutting level of 75 to cut a Magic tree. A certain Woodcutting level is also required to use each hatchet. For example, a player will need a Woodcutting level of 41 to use a rune hatchet. Also, if a player wants to wield a hatchet, then an Attack level is required. For example, a player will need an attack level of 40 to wield a Rune hatchet. In most cases, it requires 1 less level to wield a hatchet than it is to use it for chopping wood. An exception is the Inferno Adze, which requires level 92 Firemaking and level 61 Woodcutting to use, but it requires level 1 Attack to wield. It is recommended that players with the required attack level wield their hatchet so that they have one more space in their inventory, allowing them to carry more logs.
A player wearing an untrimmed woodcutting cape A player wearing a Woodcutting cape (t) and performing the Skillcape emote. Trees are easy to find, as they are located throughout RuneScape. (The exceptions to this are Morytania, Karamja and The Wilderness, where many of the trees cannot be chopped down, only examined.) A high level tree, such as a Yew tree, will have its position indicated on the mini map with a tree icon. To cut a tree, players have to find one and then left-click on it. When the player is done cutting, they can then set the logs on fire with a tinderbox to obtain Firemaking experience, fletch them if they are a member, or sell them to other players.
Free players can only cut regular, oak, willow, maple, and yew trees.
Normal trees include dead trees, jungle trees and evergreen trees, as they give the same amount of experience and type of logs. These trees are the most common in RuneScape, as they can be found everywhere.
Achey 1-25
Members: Yes
These trees are used for the members-only quest Big Chompy Bird Hunting, to make Ogre bows and arrows, as well as other ogre-related quests.
Oak 15
exp.37.5
Members: No
These trees are fairly common in RuneScape. They are nearby in many cities, allowing quick access to a bank.
Willow 30
exp.67.5
Members: No
These trees are found near water. Some places they are found at include Port Sarim, Draynor Village, Lumbridge, south east of Rimmington, Catherby and Seers' Village. A very common place for members to woodcut these is the barbarian outpost as there is deposit box and many willow trees nearby.
Teak 35
exp.85
Members: Yes
These trees can be found in the Hardwood Grove by Tai Bwo Wannai, a village on member servers, a single tree in the woods south of Castle Wars, Ape Atoll, an island inhabited by monkeys; three trees are found next to the dungeon entrance. Requirements are completion of Monkey Madness and having a monkey greegree. Players must pay 100 trading sticks, the currency in Tai Bwo Wannai, each time they enter the Hardwood Grove. They are also found in the Kharazi Jungle , Mos Le'Harmless and near the Ruins of Uzer. Players cutting Teaks will occasionally get a Special teak log, which they can take to the Sawmill for sale or free log conversion.
Maple 45
exp.100
No, but free players require at least 30 Dungeoneering to access the resource dungeon.
Maple trees are usually found in member's servers. However, free players are able to find these type of trees in the resource dungeon in Daemonheim Peninsula. To access this dungeon, you need at least 30 Dungeoneering.
Hollow 45
exp.82.5 or
357.7
Members: Yes
These are found east of Canifis, a village on members-only servers. A successful cut on a hollow tree will net 82.5 Woodcutting experience. Players who receive a piece of bark with their cut instead receive 357.7 Woodcutting experience.
Mahogany 50
exp.125
Members: Yes
These can be found in the Hardwood Grove by Tai Bwo Wannai, a village on member servers. Players must pay 100 trading sticks, the currency in Tai Bwo Wannai, each time they enter the fenced-in area where the trees are. They are also found on Ape Atoll, in the Kharazi Jungle and Mos Le'Harmless. Players cutting Mahogany trees will occasionally get a Special mahogany log, which they can take to the Sawmill for sale or free log conversion.
Arctic pine 54
exp.140.2
Members: Yes
These trees are found on the island of Neitiznot. These logs are more known for Firemaking experience than Woodcutting. They are also used to make Fremennik roundshields. To be able to use this tree you must at least partially complete The Fremennik Isles.
Eucalyptus 58
exp.165
Members: Yes
These trees are found only to the West of Oo'glog and are near Level 69-99 Ogresses. Outside of the quest, they are used only in Firemaking.
Yew 60
exp.175
Members: No
These trees give the most experience per log for free players. Free players can find these trees in Edgeville, south of Falador, north of Varrock Palace, in the Lumbridge graveyard and various other locations. Members-only spots are in the Seers' Village churchyard, south of Legends Guild, west of Catherby, and other places. They are a good way for woodcutters to make money and gain experience.
Ivy 68
exp.332.5
Members: Yes
These grow on many walls of buildings around RuneScape, including the north wall of Varrock Palace and Falador walls, the east wall of the East Ardougne church, the south wall of Castle Wars, the north wall of Yanille and the lower wall of Taverley. They give no logs, but they are used for fast experience at the expense of profit as they give the most EXP. Birds nests also drop from these trees even though they will not yield any logs (only nests).
Magic 75
exp.250
Members: Yes
Cutting these trees takes time as they give logs at a comparatively slow rate. These trees are found at the Mage Training Arena, Sorcerer's Tower, south-west of Lletya and just a tiny bit east of the Ranging Guild. There are also a few just north of the agility course in the Gnome Stronghold and at the eastern edge. Some players observe that, because of the decreased success rate, magic logs are not as good for experience or money (per time) as yews until Woodcutting Level 85 or higher.
Another location for magic trees is inside the Edgeville resource dungeon. There are a total of 6 magic trees inside the Edgeville resource dungeon. However it is always empty due to the level 65 dungeoneering requirement.
Cursed magic 82
exp.275
Members: Yes
These trees can only be cut after completing Spirit of Summer. There is only one cursed magic tree, found in the Spirit Realm's counterpart for the Western Ruins. When you cut down this tree in the spirit world, the one in the real world will spawn, and (vice versa). When you get logs from a cursed magic tree and then go back to the real world they will transform into regular magic logs.
Straight root and Curly root 83
exp.161
Members: Yes
Straight roots and curly roots are located exclusively in the Jadinko Lair and are harvested four at a time in two stages each giving 80.5 experience. The curly roots are used exclusively for Firemaking while the straight roots may be hardened over a fire for no experience and fletched into sagaie shafts.