Tree Harvester Mod Guide: Instant Tree Felling, Fast Leaf Decay & Auto Sapling Replanting
Tree Harvester lets you chop down entire trees by breaking a single log block. All logs break at once, leaves decay quickly afterward, and saplings replant themselves automatically. It works with every tree type including Nether trees and Huge Mushrooms, making wood gathering dramatically faster.
Overview
Tree Harvester is a quality-of-life mod that completely changes how you gather Wood in Minecraft. Instead of chopping each Log block individually, breaking one Log causes the entire tree to fall at once. Leaves decay rapidly afterward, and Saplings are automatically replanted from the drops. The mod requires Collective as a library dependency.
The mod doesn't add any new items, blocks, or crafting recipes. It modifies tree-breaking behavior through a highly configurable system. It works with all vanilla trees, modded trees, Nether trees (Warped Stems and Crimson Stems), and Huge Mushrooms. The mod includes intelligent detection to distinguish actual trees from player-built log structures, so your log cabins won't accidentally get demolished.
Getting Started
- 1
Install the Dependency
Tree Harvester requires the Collective library mod. Make sure both are installed for your Minecraft version and mod loader before launching the game.
- 2
Grab an Axe and Crouch
With default settings, tree harvesting only activates when you hold an Axe in your main hand and are crouching (holding Shift). Find any tree, crouch, and break any Log block. The entire tree will come down at once.
- 3
Watch the Leaves Decay
After the Logs are removed, leaves will begin decaying rapidly. By default, 3 Leaf blocks are broken per game tick, so even large canopies clear out in seconds. All drops (Saplings, Apples, Sticks) fall as normal.
- 4
Saplings Replant Automatically
Once all Leaves have decayed, the mod collects dropped Saplings from nearby and places them where the tree's base Logs were. For 2x2 Spruce trees, all four Saplings are correctly placed. This makes tree farming almost entirely hands-free.
- 5
Customize the Config
If you want tree harvesting to work without crouching (stand and chop), open the config file and set treeHarvestWithoutSneak to true. There are many other options to fine-tune durability costs, harvesting speed, and which tree types are supported.
With automaticallyFindBottomBlock enabled (the default), you can break a Log anywhere on the trunk and the mod will trace down to find the actual base of the tree before felling it. You don't need to chop at ground level.
How Tree Detection Works
The mod performs several checks before felling a tree to prevent accidental destruction. When you break a Log, it scans upward in a 5x5 horizontal area for up to 30 blocks high, counting both Logs and Leaves. A valid tree must have enough Leaf blocks relative to its Logs. If the structure doesn't have sufficient Leaves (at least 10 detected), the mod treats it as a player-built structure and lets it break normally. This means your log walls, cabins, and support beams are safe.
When two different tree types grow next to each other, the mod only removes Logs of the same type you broke and only decays Leaves matching that tree's canopy. Your neighboring Oak won't lose its leaves when you fell the Birch next to it.
Supported Tree Types
All vanilla Overworld trees work out of the box, including single-trunk varieties (Oak, Birch, Acacia, Jungle) and multi-trunk 2x2 trees (Dark Oak, large Spruce, large Jungle). Nether trees (Warped Stems and Crimson Stems with their Wart Block canopies, plus Shroomlight) are supported when enableNetherTrees is on. Huge Red Mushrooms and Huge Brown Mushrooms are also supported when enableHugeMushrooms is enabled. The mod also automatically handles modded trees as long as they use standard Log and Leaf block materials.
Durability and Exhaustion
Tree Harvester isn't free. By default, your Axe loses 1 durability for every Log harvested, just as if you had broken each block manually. A large 2x2 Spruce tree with 20+ Logs will take a significant chunk out of your Axe's durability. You can reduce this cost by lowering the loseDurabilityModifier. Setting it to 0.1 means your Axe only loses 1 durability per 10 Logs harvested, making tree farming much more sustainable for early-game tools.
The mod also increases your hunger exhaustion by 0.025 per Log harvested (multiplied by the increaseExhaustionModifier). With a 20-Log tree at default settings, that adds 0.5 exhaustion, roughly equivalent to sprinting for a few seconds. For massive tree farming sessions, bring extra food.
Harvesting Speed Scaling
Bigger trees take longer to chop. With increaseHarvestingTimePerLog enabled, your mining speed is reduced based on the tree's size using the formula: newSpeed = originalSpeed / (1 + logCount * 0.1). For a small 5-Log Birch tree, your chopping speed drops to about 67% of normal. For a massive 25-Log 2x2 Spruce, it drops to about 29%. This keeps tree harvesting balanced: small trees feel almost instant, while huge trees require a noticeable pause. The 0.1 modifier is configurable.
Since durability loss scales with Log count, enchanting your Axe with Unbreaking III is especially valuable. It effectively triples your Axe's lifespan for tree harvesting. Efficiency enchantments also help counter the harvesting speed reduction on large trees.
The Axe Blacklist
On first launch, the mod generates a blacklist file at config/treeharvester/harvestable_axe_blacklist.txt. This file lists every Axe item registered in the game, including modded Axes. By default, all Axes can harvest trees. To prevent a specific Axe from triggering tree harvesting, add an exclamation mark (!) at the beginning of its line. For example, adding !minecraft:netherite_axe would prevent a Netherite Axe from felling whole trees, letting you use it for precise single-block chopping.
This is particularly useful in modpacks where you want some Axes to retain normal behavior, or if you want a dedicated "precision" Axe for building while keeping tree felling on your main harvesting Axe.
Configuration Reference
The config file is located in your Minecraft instance's config folder. All settings are under the [General] section. Here are the most impactful options to consider changing from their defaults.
Key Configuration Options
| mustHoldAxeForTreeHarvest | true — Requires an Axe in main hand |
| treeHarvestWithoutSneak | false — Crouch to harvest (true = harvest without crouching) |
| automaticallyFindBottomBlock | true — Break any Log to fell the whole tree |
| instantBreakLeavesAround | false — If true, Leaves break instantly with Logs (no decay) |
| enableFastLeafDecay | true — Leaves decay quickly after harvest |
| enableNetherTrees | true — Warped/Crimson Stems supported |
| enableHugeMushrooms | true — Huge Mushrooms supported |
| replaceSaplingOnTreeHarvest | true — Auto-replant Saplings |
| loseDurabilityModifier | 1.0 (range 0.001-1.0) — Lower = less durability loss |
| increaseExhaustionModifier | 1.0 (range 0.001-1.0) — Lower = less hunger drain |
| increasedHarvestingTimePerLogModifier | 0.1 (range 0.01-10.0) — Higher = slower on big trees |
| amountOfLeavesBrokenPerTick | 3 (range 1-16) — Higher = faster leaf decay |
These two options are mutually exclusive. If instantBreakLeavesAround is true, Leaves shatter immediately alongside the Logs, and fast leaf decay is ignored. This is faster but causes a larger processing spike. If you prefer a smoother experience, keep instantBreakLeavesAround false and use enableFastLeafDecay with a reasonable amountOfLeavesBrokenPerTick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tree Harvester work with modded trees?
Yes. The mod detects trees based on block materials (Wood material for Logs, Leaves material for foliage) rather than checking for specific vanilla block IDs. Any modded tree that uses standard Log and Leaf block materials will work automatically.
Will it destroy my log cabin or wooden builds?
No, the mod checks for a minimum number of Leaf blocks above the Logs before considering it a tree. A structure without at least 10 Leaves in its vicinity will be treated as a player build and break normally, one block at a time.
Can I use Tree Harvester alongside Ore Harvester?
Yes, both mods are made by the same author (Serilum) and are designed to work together. They share the Collective library dependency and don't conflict with each other.
Why does chopping a big tree take so long?
With increaseHarvestingTimePerLog enabled (the default), the block-breaking speed decreases based on how many Logs the tree contains. A 25-Log tree takes roughly 3.5 times longer per swing than a single Log. You can reduce the increasedHarvestingTimePerLogModifier in the config or disable the feature entirely for instant felling regardless of tree size.
Do Saplings always replant correctly for 2x2 trees?
Yes. The mod tracks all base Log positions of a multi-trunk tree and replants the correct number of Saplings in the right spots. For a 2x2 Spruce or Dark Oak, all four Saplings are placed after the Leaves finish decaying. It collects the Saplings from nearby dropped items, so make sure enough Saplings actually drop from the Leaves.
How do I chop a single block without felling the tree?
With default settings (treeHarvestWithoutSneak = false), simply chop without crouching and the Log will break normally. If you've set treeHarvestWithoutSneak to true, crouch while chopping to break a single block. Alternatively, you can blacklist a specific Axe in the blacklist file and use it for precision work.