Chainsaw Intensive Train the Trainer on YouTube
Catch a snapshop of the Chainsaw Intensive Train the Trainer event – Jan. 30 – Feb. 4, 2011!
Chainsaw Intensive Train the Trainer
February 6th, 2011CUT STRAIGHT!
February 6th, 2011Arboriculture Canada chainsaw instructors and associates gathered together for Chainsaw Instructor Intensive Training Camp 2011, in the Peterborough, ON region at Elmhirst’s Resorts from Jan. 30 – Feb. 4th. The purpose: to review, develop and collaborate together on improving our teaching techniques and updating our course resources with a specific focus on technical tree falling, hazard & danger tree cutting and advanced chainsaw safety, operations and maintenance.
Nine instructors and industry experts from Canada and the US attended this intensive train the trainer program. The group included:
Dwayne Neustaeter – Train the Trainer Instructor
Dave Ward – Arboriculture Canada Instructor
John Ransom – Arboriculture Canada Instructor
Mark Cooke – Arboriculture Canada Instructor
Matt Logan – Arboriculture Canada Instructor
Danny LeBlanc – Arboriculture Canada Instructor
Michael Harrell – North American Training Solutions Instructor
Bob Smith – Humber College Instructor
Andrew Hordyk – Arboriculture Canada Instructor
Instructor Group - Chainsaw Intensive Train the Trainer
The program included an in depth analysis of the competency profiles for each of the chainsaw modules offered by Arboriculture Canada. Teaching templates, power point materials, course workbooks and exam questions and format for all blocks of instruction in our chainsaw modules were reviewed and discussed. The purpose of this process is to ensure that skills, techniques and methods are safe and modern and instructional material is consistent across the country in the following modules:
- Chainsaw Safety & Cutting Techniques
- Technical Tree Falling & Cutting
- Advanced Hazard & Danger Tree Cutting & Falling
- Hazard & Danger Tree Cutting Techniques for Power Service Restoration
This panel of experts in our industry draws on a combined 150 plus years of experience using chainsaws and working in the urban forest, from owning and operating tree services, working for municipalities and teaching in college environments. This experience, expertise and shared knowledge serve to strengthen and improve course curriculum and teaching methodologies of our courses.
Attendees delivered a block of instruction in camera and before their colleagues, which was followed by a peer review and feedback session on all aspects of the instruction, including the strengths and weaknesses; from introduction, use of accelerated teaching techniques and suggestions on ways to increase retention and the effectiveness of teaching the content. A day was spent in the snow at the edge of the lake, studying and practicing advanced tree falling and cutting techniques. An evening of chainsaw maintenance in the shop, tearing down saws, examining maintenance practices and learning from each other was a techie’s dream.
Our customers will see new course workbooks for all chainsaw training modules in 2011. A complete rewrite of these modules has recently been completed, with accompanying photo’s, diagrams and illustrations to better supplement the learning during the training programs. These new workbooks provide additional resource material which will strength the retention of learning and supply a resource that can be used following the course to remind students of the skills that they learned. In time, this learning resource will be available for sale to arborists and chainsaw professionals outside of our student groups and around the world.
The mantra of the week – ‘Cut Straight’ – reverberated strong and was heartfelt. Each instructor is passionate about teaching, and is especially passionate about reducing the accidents and fatalities caused by chainsaw accidents, cuts, and ‘struck-by’s when falling and cutting trees. This week was dedicated to studying the techniques used in chainsaw operations and tree felling, as well as learning and practicing teaching skills that will continue to make the programs delivered by Arboriculture Canada instructors effective and leading edge.
The unique personality, passion, authenticity and power of purpose was evident and strong in this group. Arboriculture Canada is proud and privileged to be associated with such quality people. To quote the creativity and quick wit of Bob Smith – all our customers can be assured that our instructors ‘gauge the depth of their cutting edge personalities’!
Arboriculture Canada offers instructor training privately for small groups of people. Contact us to learn more about how you can get instructor training that reveals the secrets of how to deliver high energy, memorable and effective presentations using adult learning techniques such as; suggestology, accelerated learning, edutainment and educomedy.
Friction Management for Climbing Operations
January 31st, 2011Published in Tree Service Magazine – Author: Michael Tain
Friction is a property that plays a major role in almost every aspect of tree care professionals’ daily routines and work activities; and like many other ever present forces or properties in life, it can sometimes seem to be a force for good and other times a force for evil. All of the hitches and knots that are so vital to climbing arborists for attaching or securing themselves and other objects to lines and cordage rely on some degree of friction to stay tied in place. Thus friction, in the role it plays in keeping hitches or knots secure, is a force for good, yet should an inappropriate knot be used for a specific application, or too much force be applied to an appropriate one, friction becomes a force for evil as the hapless user attempts to release the friction that has seized the knot in an immovable form. Friction works to a tree crew’s advantage when carrying out rigging operations when they use the friction generated by a lowering device or “tree wraps” to lower wood and branches under control. Yet a similar form of friction to the one that allows these tree care experts to lower huge loads safely and securely can be quite emotionally frustrating and physically exhausting when attempting to ascend into the tree. This would be friction present at the tie-in point (TIP). Conventional and traditional climbing involves simply running the climbing line over a branch or around the trunk in the desired location for the tie-in point; and though this practice may seem to have the advantages of simplicity and ease of use, the friction generated by the rope on bark/wood contact takes quite a toll on the user, the climbing line, and even the tree. There are a variety of commercially available friction reduction devices that can be used to better manage this friction at the TIP; and also a myriad of ways that climbing arborists can create their own out of appropriately rated slings, carabiners, and pulleys, once they understand the advantages of reduced friction aloft.
- Cambium Saver: This device is probably one of the simplest available, and immensely easy to install and remove. The Cambium Saver is a sewn leather tube pre-shaped in a curve. The climbing line passes through it, reducing the amount of friction that the climber has to work against while also protecting both rope and bark from excessive wear and heat due to mutual contact. Once the desired tie-in point is attained with the throwline, the end of the climbing line, with the Cambium Saver already installed on it, is pulled up into the TIP. A slip knot beneath the device keeps it in place on the rope; and allows the user to release it from the ground, installing the Cambium Saver over or around the desired tie-in point. Removal is easily accomplished by tying an overhand knot in the climbing line, pulling it up to the device, and simply pulling it out to remove it.
- A Cambium Saver in place for installation on a climbing line being pulled aloft by a throwline with a slip knot to keep the device in place beneath it.
- The Cambium Saver in place in the desired TIP, prior to the final step of pulling the slip knot loose from the ground.
- Friction Saver: The Friction Saver, developed by ArborMaster Training and manufactured by Buckingham, consists of a large and small ring at opposite ends of a heavy duty machine stitched webbing strap. The climber’s rope passes through the rings after installation, reducing friction even more than the Cambium Saver, while still protecting the tree and rope from contact with each other. The large ring, marked by the orange end of the webbing, and the small ring, marked by the green end, allows the Friction Saver to both be installed and removed in/from the desired tie-in point from the ground. The installation of a small Prusik cord on the device also allows it to be used in a choking fashion when spur climbing or when no branch attachment point is present at the desired TIP, though the choking feature cannot be installed from the ground.
In the first step of installing a Friction Saver, with throwline already installed in desired TIP, pass throwline through both rings, and reattach bag on other side of small ring.
- In the second step of Friction Saver installation, pull on the throwline passed through the large ring raising the Friction Saver to just beneath the desired TIP. Pulling at a slight angle will help prevent twisting and tangling.
- With a quick snap, pull the small ring and throwbag over the desired TIP and release the throwline immediately to reduce the chance of entanglement.
- In the final step of Friction Saver installation, the throwline is used to pull the climbing line through the two rings.
- Rope Guide: This device, developed and manufactured by Advanced Ropeclimbing Technology, employs both a camming system to allow it to be choked against the tree or let out to the desired length, and an extremely smooth and fluid pulley that the climbing line passes through. The smooth friction reducing capability of this device’s pulley is greater than that of either the Friction or Cambium Saver; and the design of the overall device prevents excessive contact between rope and tree. Although the Rope Guide can be installed from the ground with some imagination, it is not as simple a process as some of the other devices discussed here; and is most commonly carried aloft while footlocking to be installed by hand once the desired tie-in point has been reached. The device can be removed from the ground either by a second line installed when aloft, or through the use of a Double Snapper, also from ART, for remote retrieval.
A view of a Rope Guide installed at the desired TIP with the climbing line running over the butter smooth pulley.
- Buck Blocks or MagBloc: This device, designed and developed by Scott Prophett and Scott Winningham, and introduced to the tree care industry this year by Buckingham, is available in both a climbing and rigging configuration. The Buck Blocks provide users with the capability to climb out of an actual block at the tie-in point, improving the rope’s bend radius and reducing friction immensely, while still being easily installed and removed from the ground through the use of throwline. The rope, once installed, runs through a rope channel across the two rotating sheaves, while the separate halves of the device are held securely together by rare earth magnets. The amount of friction reduction, due to the two rotating sheaves, is greater than either the Cambium or Friction Saver, while still protecting both the tree and rope from contact and associated wear.
- Creative Devices: Climbing arborists who wish to “create” their own friction management device rather than purchase one are only limited by their imagination, and the always important breaking strength standards for personal support. Any variety of straps, slings, spliced rope tools, connecting links, and pulleys can be combined to reduce friction at the TIP; and with some time or thought, allow for easy installation and retrieval from the ground.
Managing friction effectively at the tie-in point will not only help climbing arborists work more safely and efficiently, but also increase the lifespan of their ropes, while reducing heat and friction damage to the trees they are there to care for. Although this brief introduction cannot fully encompass the various advantages and disadvantages of specific friction management devices, it does provide a glimpse into the possibilities and an introduction to their use, hopefully helping tree care professionals focus on keeping friction as a force for good rather than evil. Author: Michael Tain
Vegetation Management – Using the Mis-Match Cut to Free Hung or Snagged Trees on Power lines.
December 4th, 2010During and following severe storm events there is often a need to cut trees, remove large limbs and other debris off the power lines in order to begin the power restoration process. This work is often performed during the storm event or in conditions that are challenging due to weather, darkness and other factors. It is a known fact that working with a chainsaw is one of the most dangerous work procedures any worker can face, compound this with inclement weather and darkness and there is a potential for serious worker injury to occur.
Often the workers called on to perform these tasks are power linemen who may have received little specialized training in the skills needed to ensure their safety while working in these situations. Some time ago, while I was providing some basic chainsaw training for a utility client, I asked the student/lineman when they most likely used a chainsaw. Their answer was during or after storms to clear the lines in order to restore the power service. I knew the training we were there to provide did not cover this aspect of tree cutting and as a result, we developed and delivered a specialized curriculum to help lineman meet these challenges safely and efficiently.
Since then we have refined and developed techniques that help linemen cut trees and remove branches and debris from power lines. The most common risk that lineman take when cutting trees from the line is that they are typically standing too close to the cut, the line and the tree part when it is released. The review of logging accidents and fatalities indicate that when a cutter is within five feet of where the cutting and release takes place 90% of the accidents and fatalities occur.
It was with this in mind that we teach linemen how to use cutting techniques that allow the worker to be at a safe distance away when branches or trees are released. We can teach these techniques by using simple equipment already available and familiar to lineman. It is important that a lineman understand the severity of risk that exists when they are cutting trees hung on power systems. Linemen already clearly understand the threat of electrocution. It is the reactive forces of the chainsaw and trees that is most often not a part of the curriculum of most utility apprenticeship programs.
Training that teaches the correct techniques for basic tree cutting is necessary for linemen who cut trees on or near the power system during or after storm events in order to support and document due diligence for their occupational health and safety protocols. Documented training and qualification in techniques that provide options that can accommodate a variety of situations or scenarios addresses the problem and ensures diligence. In many cases linemen perform this work based on trial and error and the younger workers rely heavily and often solely on the experience of the seasoned journeyman lineman who often have learned the lessons the hard way. This leaves everyone exposed and at risk for a preventable and negligent inevitability. If you have linemen or workers who perform these tasks, be sure that documentation of training and records exist that show your organization addresses the specialty situations posed by trees, tops or large limbs hung on the power lines.
Here is an example of a very simple technique that allows a cutter to be at a safer distant from a cut when it is released. In other words, it allows the cutter to be already away and in an escape route.
Mis-match cut
The mis-match cut or by-pass is a very simple and effective two-cut process that employs wood fibre strength to the cutters advantage. In addition by employing the use of a hand line, a common tool linemen use regularly, any lineman can cut a snagged or hung tree part and release it using the hand line from a safe working distance. Often one or two cuts will free the problem from the line allowing power restoration to commence.
Making a mis-match cut
This technique places the cuts in a staggered manner with the lowest of the cuts made in the direction of the intended pull. Attach the hand line to the tree part prior to commencing cutting. The cuts are made just pass half or through the mid way point of the diameter of the tree or branch. It is very important that the cuts are perpendicular to the force of gravity acting on the wood. Equally important is that both cuts bypass each other. The laminated strength of the wood fibres is strong enough to resist breaking, allowing time for the cutter to retreat and pull the piece free with the hand line at a safe distance. The pull of the hand line causes the kerf to close and the vertical wood fibre to release.
If a mis-match / by-pass cut is unable to be released by pulling, the next option is to insert wedges into both kerfs and drive these wedges alternately until a small crack appears or any cracking or fracturing sound is heard. It is very important that as soon as a crack is seen or heard that you stop driving the wedges and proceed to a safe distance. In most cases pulling on the line at this point will release the snag. Repeat the process as necessary.
The primary advantage of using this simple technique is that it allows the cutter to release the tree part at a safe working distance from falling debris, loaded power lines, flying branches or while holding a running chainsaw. This technique is one of the most popular and is appreciated by linemen who have performed the work I have been describing. They recognize and appreciate the safety advantage this method provides and comment on how they wish they had learned it earlier in their careers. A short 2-3 day course can provide simple and effective work procedures that will improve linemen health and welfare while cutting trees from power lines during or after storm events in order to restore power to customers efficiently and safely.
The work many utility workers perform during or after storm events is not basic or ordinary. When called upon they enter an arena of risk seldom faced by many seasoned chainsaw workers – it makes sense that they receive training and education that provides the skills needed to face this dangerous work environment.
Dwayne Neustaeter
Arboriculture Canada – THE FUTURE!
September 12th, 2010Arboriculture Canada Message to our Customers . . .
When we started this training company in 1999, one of our foremost goals was to increase safety for those who work with trees and help to reduce accidents and the loss of life. Over the last 11 years, we have accomplished and pursued this goal through training and education using various approaches and it still remains our most important goal today.
We felt that offering short burst (2 to 3 day programs) in specific skills disciplines would best suit our target markets because workers could invest in education and professional development while continuing in their current job positions. Hand’s on competency based training, delivered in consistent and laddered modules in a short burst format was not being offered Canadian wide. We began in 1999 by delivering open enrolment programs in various locations across Canada. For the first few years, most of the training we brought to the industry was through the medium of these open enrolment, tuition based courses. In addition, we started to get requests from organizations, businesses, municipalities etc. to come on-site to their specific location and provide training that was designed in partnership and according to their specific requests – customized courses. Thus, we entered into the business of sending our instructors directly to our customer’s shops and field sites to train workers in the specific skill sets they required.
In the last 5 years, our focus in bringing training and education to the various industries we service has been channelled predominantly through private, contract programs. Currently, approximately 80% of our training occurs for organizations who hire us to bring an instructor on-site for their own staff. The demand for qualification testing and certification has increased with our private training programs as well, and we are seeing more than 50% of our private training customers requesting documentation in the form of qualification testing and competency certification for their staff.
For these reasons, we want to let our customers know that beginning in 2011, the focus of Arboriculture Canada will be to continually move in the direction of providing customized training and education services to organizations and businesses that require on-site private training programs. We will continue to offer a select number of open enrolment training programs in a few cities across Canada. However, you will notice a reduction in the courses and locations of open enrolment training programs being offered. Please take note of this, so that you can plan your training programs accordingly in advance. In some cases, it may be necessary to travel to enrol in a particular course.
An option for your training plan is to partner with local arborists and organizations that may want the same training you are looking for. We can come to your location with a trainer if a group of people is organized. Please call Nancy to learn more about this opportunity.
In order to remain efficient as a business and strong in quality of training, we are going to be focusing on the following goals:
- Arboriculture Canada will be known as a leader worldwide for the following things:
- Quality of training and quality of instructors
- Knowledge of the working skills of related industries and the ability to train to high standards
- Utilizing teaching methodologies for adult learners
- Flexibility in curriculum development for your in-house training programs
- Arboriculture Canada will lead the development and professional growth of the industry in Canada through state of the art teaching techniques (‘edutainment’), and a strong connection with industry standards and regulations across Canada and around the world. This means that all instructors will continue to be ‘linked in’ to industry committees and networking with leaders in the industry.
In short, if you are a business owner, a supervisor, a training coordinator, a health and safety risk manager or a working arborist – if you know that you and/or your staff need the best training available in Canada, we encourage you to contact Nancy at 1-877-268-8733 and discuss setting up a private training program.
For those smaller businesses and individuals who may not have enough people to set up a private training program, we encourage you to check our training schedule regularly at www.arborcanada.com and register early for open enrolment programs. As the number of programs available in 2011 will be limited, we expect that registrations will reach maximum levels quite quickly.
We look forward to serving you in the fall of 2010 – and offering the same great service in 2011.
Back-Cuts, Hinges & Control (Article 6)
August 2nd, 2010This is the last in a series where I have been discussing a sequenced planning method to tree felling. When read in sequence, the articles combine to describe an effective tree felling planning process. It has been my intention to encourage readers to think about many aspects when felling trees – with the focus being on tree faller safety.
It is important to remember that some tree felling techniques developed from years of trial and error and in field practice and in all cases deserve our respect and acknowledgement. It is difficult to produce conclusive scientific data that verifies certain aspects of tree felling techniques, due to the many variables that are at work when dealing with living organisms such as trees.
Remember that new tools cannot get into a toolbox when the lid is closed. An open mind is like an open toolbox and new tools when tried and proven are a wise addition.
In most cases, the back-cut is the final step when felling a tree. The back-cut removes the wood left preventing the notch from closing, it also forms the hinge wood. The hinge wood is the wood left uncut behind the notch and is what provides control and guidance to a felled tree. It is important to understand that the hinge can only offer control as long as it can work; when the hinge fails, control is lost.
- Cutting & Forming the Hinge
Traditional Back Cuts
A crosscut saw was the tool of choice and for generations back-cuts were cut by hand with a crosscut saw, cutting from the back of the tree towards the notch. The modern chainsaw and tooth design offers us alternatives to this traditional method. The notch selected should be considered when deciding where to place the back-cut. Traditionally it has been recommended to raise back-cuts above the apex of the notch. This technique (called the stepped back-cut) forms a step or back stop and minimizes a tree from sliding backwards off the stump causing great risk to the faller. It is important to raise back-cuts whenever felling a tree with a small notch opening such as 45 degrees or less. In these cases, the hinge will have to break when the face notch closes. After all a notch with a 45 degree or less notch aperture will have to break the hinge and as a result will lose control when the tree in most cases is only half way to the ground. A limitation of a small notch aperture is that it forces hinge failure before the tree reaches the ground, thus causing loss of control and gravity takes over before the tree is on the ground. If limb tying or felling obstacles are present that could snag the falling tree a stepped back-cut is also advisable regardless of notch opening.
- Open Face Notch
Tree Felling Notches (Article 5)
August 2nd, 2010Many times when workers discuss tree felling notches, the conversation ends up being about what kind of notches are used and what they are called. Typically your hear about a common notch, a Humboldt notch, an open notch, and less frequently a v-notch, or swing notch. It is important to give techniques names because it helps identify one from another; however, it can also cause some problems. Typically when you learn a notching technique you identify the notch with a name and the learner connects the sequence of cuts and angles to that specific notch. This is typical basic training, however, I believe it is equally important to include an educational component that explains the ‘why’ behind the ‘how’. This leaves a worker with an understanding and the ability to make wise choices in order to achieve specific results.
Education is understanding how something works; training is knowing how to perform a technique that works. I find in many cases individuals who have been falling trees for a long time were never educated about the origins or reason why the technique was developed and simply repeat the same traditions, not giving thought to what the notch is, what the notch does and how it can be cut to enhance and achieve desired results. The fact is we learn so much about falling trees and cutting notches by doing and we tend to follow what we saw from those that cut before us.
A powerful example of this is the common notch. The common notch is typically cut with a 45 degree opening. Why a 45 degree opening? The explanation of why lies in history. The modern day chainsaw has only been in use realistically since the 1950’s, which means for many years prior the tools available for cutting notches were different. The tools most commonly used in North America since the arrival of the white man was the crosscut saw and axe. In order to cut a notch in a tree with a crosscut saw and an axe, the first cut is sawn perpendicular to the grain of the tree with the crosscut saw. Next, an axe chips the wood out using downward angled strikes; it is interesting to observe that an axe chips out wood best at a 45-degree angle to the wood grain. It is reasonable to deduce that the 45-degree common notch is a result of the limitations of the tools available at the time. Many cut the same notch today as it was done hundreds of year ago. Some consider that this notch was technically developed yet history suggests otherwise, the 45-degree notch is largely the result of tradition and older equipment limitations.
What is a notch and what does it do? A notch is an opening made into a tree trunk by making two angled cuts into the trunk with the intention being that the notch starts the tree falling in the desired direction of the fall and dictates how long the hinge can work and when it will have to break. From a mechanical point of view this notch in the tree changes the gravitational load forces on the remaining wood fibre, and the wood fibre left behind the notch is referred to as hinge wood. I will discuss hinge wood and tree falling control further in my next article.
Therefore rather than focusing on what a notch is named or called, let us look at what we want the notch to do for us when falling trees. Whenever I ask students if they would like to learn techniques that would improve safety and control of falling trees they all raise their hands or nod their heads in agreement. I must say that I am speaking in this article about notches that specifically focus on maximizing safety and control. The notching technique I am speaking of in this article is not a typical production falling notching technique. The technique has many technical considerations that are necessary to allow other important aspects of the tree falling process to work better and longer, such as the hinge. This notching technique is not based on tradition and equipment limitations as it requires fallers to think and plan and not simply follow a cookie cutter routine.
In order to improve safety and control when falling trees it is important to aim notches in the desired direction of fall and ensure that the completed notch opening or aperture should be of sufficient degrees to allow the hinge to provide control all the way to the ground. It is also important that the two cuts made to form the notch meet evenly and have no by-pass as this can encourage premature hinge failure.
The following simple three-step notching plan can help anyone achieve consistent and repeatable notching results.
Step 1
Determine the angle formed by the trunk and the ground level; this angle should be the same as the angle or aperture of your notch opening. This will ensure that your hinge has every opportunity to work all the way to the ground giving a greater degree of control. Trees grow nearly perpendicular to level ground so often an opening of 70 to 90 degrees is common. However, trees growing on heavy slopes will always try to grow parallel to the force of gravity, this plant response is called geotropism, and in some cases the angle created by the trunk and the ground level is well over 100 degrees or well under 45 degrees.
Open Face Notch
Step 2
Stand beside the tree and behind your saw, with your chainsaw positioned to begin cutting the top cut of the notch aiming the sights in the direction you want to fall the tree. The felling sights are raised ridges, indentations or black lines and are located on the top and both sides of the saw body on most professional model chainsaws. Wherever these sights are pointing when cutting the notch should indicate the direction the tree should start to fall. (NOTE: many factors dictate where a tree will fall and an aimed notch does not guarantee the tree will fall in that direction.)
Line up your felling sights
Step 3
Make the top cut first, and then the bottom cut of the notch. By doing this you can use the kerf created as a window to know when to stop cutting when making the final cut in order to avoid by-pass or mismatching. It is important to have even alignment where the top and bottom cut meet.
Make your top cut first
Following these three simple steps can improve your safety and control when felling trees. As often is the case with working with trees, chainsaws and gravity, there is no substitute for hands on practice, coaching, training and education. I always encourage people to attend hands on courses and attend seminars – after all education is a journey. It is my intention to stimulate thought with this article and get fallers to think about why they make the particular notches they make, where the techniques originated and why it developed. I have never seen one tree the same as another so why should we use a notching technique that is the same for every tree. In most cases it makes sense that techniques evolve that are similar and have common trends and that is a good thing. Just remember that repetitive complacency is a silent killer. Avoid mindless routine, challenge yourself daily to think through your work and make adjustments regularly even though they may seem minor. This engages your mind and stimulates learning.
In closing I want to tell you the name of this notching technique; it is called ‘the open face notch’, I think the name in this case says a lot, ‘open face, open mind’.
In my next article I will explain how the back-cut and hinge work together with the notch.
Technical Tree Falling – Faller Escape Routes, Understanding the 5-15-90 Rule (Article 4)
May 3rd, 2010By Dwayne Neustaeter
Having a clearly identified and prepared escape route is one of the most important parts of any felling plan. Statistics show that a well-planned and utilized escape plan has a significant impact on your personal safety. Accident and fatality reports also reveal some useful information regarding workers injured when falling trees.
People falling trees have learned over the years that the area directly on either side or directly behind the tree is very dangerous. This is because branches, tops and trunk sections often fall near the base of a falling tree.
One type of falling mishap, know as a barber chair, is particularly dangerous. A barber chair occurs when a tree being felled delaminates vertically before the hinge is cut thin enough to bend. The term refers to the sliding action of the old style barber chair that positioned patrons in a head down, feet up position so the barber could more easily shave with the straight razor.
In falling, a barber chair occurs when using conventional back-cuts where the hinge is formed by cutting the wood from the back of the tree towards the hinge. As the saw severs the more resilient sapwood fibres typically found in the outer rings of a tree, the more brittle heartwood must resist the bending load. In cases of heavy forward lean and in older trees, this can result in the hinge wood splitting upwards as the tree falls. When the tree top contacts the ground the section of tree that has split upwards crushes either the remaining wood column straight backwards or the split standing section tears and rolls off to either side. In either case, the best place to be is away and at an angle.
Another compelling justification for the escape route is that while a tree is being cut, vibrations sent up through the entire tree can cause branches and tops to loosen. This vibration dislodges branches, where the sway from wind will not. As a tree begins to fall the force of gravity acting on it changes as well and a branch or dead top that is hung up for many years will suddenly dislodge during the first several seconds the tree is falling. These loosened limbs and tops fall generally within a few feet of the base. Trees that have dead tops or dead branches often referred to as widow makers for this very reason, because many a tree faller has been struck or killed.
The 5-15-90 rule is a concept we can use to emphasize the importance of using an escape route. Review of where tree falling accidents and fatalities occurred revealed that 90% of all accidents and fatalities happen within the first 15 seconds of the tree falling and within 5 feet of the base of the felled tree. Therefore, if you identify, plan and use an escape route you can increase your chance of survival or escaping injury by 90% and that the best escape route is at an angle away from the falling tree.
The most advisable angle of escape is away from the direction of the falling tree at an angle approximately 135 degrees from the direction of fall or 45 degrees from the opposite of the direction of fall. (see diagram)
Many times obstacles or terrain influence the escape route plan, therefore it is not an exact science but rather the escape zone is at an angle diagonally away from the direction of fall, as illustrated in the diagram.
Remember: Identify, Prepare and Use an Escape whenever you fall a tree.
Both of the escape routes shown here are 135 degrees from the direction of fall. It is also 45 degrees from the opposite of the direction of fall.
Technical Tree Felling – Assessing Lean (Article 3)
May 3rd, 2010
By Dwayne Neustaeter
An important step of any falling plan (and one I believe that is often the most overlooked) is assessing the lean. In almost all cases whenever possible it is best to fell a tree in the direction it is naturally leaning. That is to say that if all of the strength of the wood fibres holding the tree up against gravity were to be severed or be instantly released then the tree would fall exactly where gravity is taking it. Therefore, if you can fell a tree in the direction of its natural lean gravity will ensure it falls that direction.
In my last article, I touched on height measure and how, if you have determined how tall the tree is and accurately assess the lean, then there is little that can cause the tree to fall anywhere other than planned.
Assessing lean is much more than the angle of the trunk. Other factors must be considered. I tell my students to consider the entire ‘bio-mass’ of the tree as this is what truly creates bendin gon the trunk. The ‘bio-mass’ is all of the parts of the tree combined – every branch and trunk. This is best assessed as part of your outer perimeter survey s described in the previous article.
The bio-mass and lean is best assessed from a distance from the tree. In your mind’s eye, draw a line around the entire tree, being sure it touches the tips of every branch, start at the base of the trunk and then proceed left or right around the entire canopy or bio-mass of the tree. Once you have this visualized, split that shape in half (it usually is an oval or egg shape) and imagine a line plumb down the center. The distance this line is in relation to the notching area of the trunk tells you how much lean you are dealing with.
This tree shows about 5 - 7 feet of lean.
This tree shows approximately 1 foot of lean
It is important to look at the tree from all sides and assess lean as you go because the lean will change from different viewing locations. Using this method the natural lean may be determined and the fell should proceed in that direction. If there are obstacles in the way of this natural lean, then other technical felling or rigging techniques are needed and worked into the plan.
What I have just described is how to calculate ‘forward lean’. There is another aspect of lean that is also important to evaluate. Once the ‘forward lean’ is established, it is important to eliminate any side lean in relation to your direction of fall. Often side lean is not considered. The problem is when obstacles are in the way of the ‘natural-lean’, the faller must obviously choose to fell the tree away from the obstacle. In doing this – side lean becomes a factor.
Side lean is lean that is perpendicular to the felling notch and hinge. This is important because wood is much weaker in the vertical plane than the horizontal (imagine trying to split a log by hitting along the side, yet when you hit it from an end, it splits relatively easily).
Gravity acts on the hinge much the same way; as the tree falls it can cause the hinge to break prematurely, sending the tree once again in the direction of the ‘natural lean’. Therefore, once natural forward lean is determined, be sure that there is no side lean acting on your hinge 90 degrees to your direction of fall.
Mastering how to perform a lean assessment will ensure all of your trees fall exactly where you want them to. By using the outer and inner perimeter survey and height measure you can predict accurately and confidently where the top of the tree will land.
There are more factors to consider in your felling plan and in my next article I will discuss establishing and using an escape route.
Technical Tree Felling – Evaluating Site, Height and Hazard (Article 2)
April 27th, 2010By Dwayne Neustaeter
The first step in any work plan and especially a felling plan is evaluating site hazards, tree risk indicators and tree placement considerations such as tree height and felling site location and placement. When evaluating a site and tree, I like to look at it from two viewpoints – one from a distance back and another up close. This two-stepped process I like to call my outer perimeter and inner perimeter surveys. The word ‘perimeter’ is key in that it indicates a circular or all encompassing look.
Perform the outer perimeter survey from a distant back, preferably about the distance back as the height of the tree. View the site and tree from all sides by simply walking around the tree. During the outer perimeter survey, some site considerations you are looking for are obstacles or hazards such as power lines, other trees, buildings, fences etc. Tree considerations include the size of the tree, dead limbs or tops, decay and prominent lean. It is always best to choose to fell your tree with the natural lean so gravity can work for you. I will expand on lean assessment in the next article of this series.
During the outer perimeter survey, site considerations you are looking for are obstacles or hazards such as power lines, other trees, buildings and fences. Tree considerations include the size of the tree, dead limbs or tops, decay and prominent lean.
One final step I recommend performing as part of the outer perimeter survey is to determine the trees height as this often dictates if a tree can fit in the desired drop zone. A simple field method for determining the height of a tree can be done using a straight stick roughly the length of your leg.
1. Cradle the stick in your hand and hold it up to your eye, (be sure you have safety glasses on) by aiming down along the stick line it up with the base of the tree.
2. Next, hold the stick upright so the stick and your arm form a 90-degree angle.
3. Sight along the top of the stick and walk forward or backward until the top of the stick is in line with the top of the tree and the bottom of the stick where you are holding it is lining up with base of the tree. When this lines up, the spot where you are standing is very close to the height of the tree.
Estimating a Tree's Height. The worker on the left is sighting along the stick to the bottom of the tree while the worker on the right is lining up the top of the tree with the top of the stick. Though simple, the method is quite accurate.
The more you practice this technique, the more accurate you will become. This technique is difficult to explain in words, but is quickly learned with some hands on training. By determining the height of a tree, it becomes easier to decide where to fell the tree and ensure it is free and clear of contacting any obstacles during the felling process.
The inner perimeter survey is done up close and focuses specifically on the tree, the placement of your notch and establishing your escape route. Once again, make a complete circle around the base of your tree in close proximity to the tree, and look for additional indication of wood decay and cavities. Mushrooms or conks can be indications of internal wood decay and should be seriously considered as decayed wood affects the performance of your hinge. Additionally, the desired direction of fall may change due to the presence of a cavity or wound where your hinge wood needs to be. Your inner perimeter survey also involves clearing brush, debris or anything that could impede your cutting of the notch, back-cut and escape route.
The inner perimeter survey should include watching for root decay & structural damages.
An inner perimeter survey also involves clearing brush, debris or anything that could impede your cutting of the notch, back-cut and escape route.
This survey process is the beginning of your plan and is very important. It is step one of a five step planning process for felling trees and integrates into all of the other steps in this plan. I will be referring back to the outer and inner perimeter surveys as I continue this series.
Remember accidents are unplanned events and an excellent way to avoid an accident is to plan your work and work your plan. We use a planning process and explain it in series of steps to help us remember and follow a system. When felling a tree these steps are blended and integrated in our mind as we formulate our felling plan.
Thank-you for taking time to read this article and sharing some of your valuable time with me by being willing to think and consider adding some tools or techniques to your tree felling toolbox.