TimberShift

TimberShift is a server-side Minecraft plugin that brings the remaining logs of a natural tree down as you chop it. It keeps the normal effort of tree cutting: every log must still be broken by a player.

Break a reachable log near the base of a tree with an axe, and eligible logs above it shift down by one block. Minecraft continues to handle the original block break, item drops, tool damage, enchantments, and statistics normally. Players do not need to install anything on their clients.

Features

• Progressive tree chopping without instantly felling or harvesting the whole tree
• Conservative detection for natural trees, branches, and 2×2 trunks
• Protection for logs placed while TimberShift is installed
• Optional fast leaf decay in small, visible steps
• Normal sapling, stick, apple, and other leaf drops
• Sneak to bypass TimberShift and use normal Minecraft behavior
• Per-player toggles and configurable world lists
• Configurable movement, detection, leaf-decay, effect, and safety limits
• Support for protection plugins that cancel block-breaking events
• No required dependencies, external services, or client-side installation

TimberShift prioritises protecting builds. If part of a tree cannot move without replacing terrain, entering an unloaded chunk, or moving an unrelated block, that part stays where it is.

Fast leaf decay

Fast leaf decay is enabled by default and only targets natural, non-persistent leaves associated with a tree TimberShift has recognised.

Leaves decay in small shuffled groups rather than disappearing instantly. Before each leaf is removed, TimberShift checks that it is still natural, loaded, and unsupported by a nearby log. Player-placed leaves are left alone.

TimberShift does not alter randomTickSpeed or force chunks to load.

Requirements

• Minecraft Java Edition 26.2
• Java 25
• Paper 26.2, Purpur 26.2, or Spigot 26.2

Paper and Purpur are the primary supported platforms. Other Minecraft versions are not currently supported, but support may be expanded on request.

Installation

1. Download the TimberShift JAR.
2. Stop your server.
3. Place the JAR in the server's plugins directory.
4. Start the server.

The documented configuration will be generated at plugins/TimberShift/config.yml.

Commands

• /timbershift help
• /timbershift toggle
• /timbershift status
• /timbershift reload

/ts is available as a shorter alias.

Support and source code

• Discord support
• Source code and issue tracker

TimberShift is open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0.