My Grandfather, who was a woodsman all of his life, was born in 1892 - Chainsaw didn't exist then. The same principals he used with an axe are equally valid for the chainsaw and, I agree, it's a lot easier to use.
It's nice to talk people about what they do and I hope this little conversation makes you think about how life is so much easier in the world today. Remember that you are continuing a profession that has gone since the end of the Ice age ... I live in the UK and I have found flint axe heads.