you could do it with a knife irl.
but a handaxe or carving axe are soooo much better for it. they are tougher and dont go blunt that fast. the weight of the axe is what does the work, the edge is just for getting a first cut to then push trough. what takes you 5 minutes and great effort with a knife will take 1 or 2 hits with a proper axe.