IMHO, it's a trade off. Chopping tools are more versatile and easier to maintain in the field, but are heavier, require more exertion, are more hazardous to the user, and require the work to be held rigidly or the flexing will absorb the energy of the strike. FWIW, that's my primary grievance with Nuttinfancy's Fiskars axe demo. He's chopping on the middle of a branch suspended in mid air and the thing’s bounding up and down like it's on a pogo stick.

Sawing tools do one thing really well. They cut through hard materials and are generally lighter, cheaper, safer and more efficient then choppers. The downside is it's harder to maintain and not as versatile as the big choppers.

Locally, the ecosystem is primarily chaparral with some conifer forests and riparian areas. My primary wood processing tools would be a brush hook (Kaiser blade) or a fine toothed pruning saw on a long handle.