Safety Tips For Tree Felling

Tree Felling involves the cutting down of trees and removing the remaining stumps. This can be for a variety of reasons such as damage to the timber industry, land clearing, fire protection or aesthetics. The process is often the most dangerous part of a harvest operation and can cause significant injuries to workers. There have been many cases of people being crushed by falling branches or trees, and there are countless reports of workers being injured by the equipment they are using. A well drafted safety plan is essential to the success of any felling operation.

Before starting a felling job, it is important to assess the site and the surrounding conditions. Look for any structural weakness or defects and avoid trees with interlocked branches, dead tops or hanging limbs that could fall during the sawing process. These are called “widow maker” trees and can easily kill or maim workers.

A clear escape route is essential, and it should be marked out around the base of the tree before commencing any work. It is important that the escape paths are free of debris and vegetation, and are located at least 45 degrees away from the expected fall line of the tree. It is also important to assess the ground condition, and make sure it is stable enough to support a fallen tree.

When a tree is felled it can be quite violent, especially large and old trees with thick crowns. The force of the tree falling can uproot neighboring trees and create large piles of wood waste. It is also possible that the tree will break and turn over, causing injury to workers or property. This is why it is important to follow a step-by-step plan and to keep an eye on all the time.

Ideally, a tree should be felled on the ground before it becomes too heavy to move. However, this is not always possible in practice due to the weight of the tree and other factors. In some cases, it may be necessary to cut a tree up into pieces before transporting it. This is often called bucking and can be done with either chainsaws or hand held saws.

In commercial forests, thinning and felling operations are performed in years before the main harvest to reduce forest density. This is to provide space and sunlight for the remaining trees and improve forest health. In private forest land and nature reserves, thinning is used to reduce the risk of wildfires by reducing fuel loads.

Felling is also used to prepare woodland for regeneration, by reducing the competition from competing tree species and promoting the growth of light-demanding species such as coppice. In addition, it can be useful in reducing soil erosion by allowing water to flow freely through the system of roots and trunks. In this case, the phases of felling are usually longer to allow for slower regrowth and to minimize sediment transfer to the water environment.

from Sunshine Coast Tree Lopping Caloundra https://ift.tt/wBPUJ6I