The sampling of bark beetles and their natural enemies requires that bark be removed for examination of broods contained in the phloem. Counts of populations on bark samples are used to evaluate infestations for purposes of control and for studying population dynamics in the field. Bark samples have been cut from western conifers by chopping, sawing, or a combination of these operations. However, both these methods have disadvantages. Chopping produces ragged samples of varying size, and a saw tends to catch in the bark when cutting boundaries parallel to the trunk. Also, with either chopping or sawins, sample boundaries must be measured and marked as a guide during the cutting.