Manual Tree Felling and Chainsaw Operation Procedure

Purpose. This procedure sets out how trained and authorised workers plan and carry out manual tree felling and chainsaw work in Timberline coupes so that trees fall where intended and no one is inside the danger zone.

1.Scope and authorisation

This procedure applies to all manual felling, trimming, cross-cutting and chainsaw maintenance in native forest and plantation coupes. Only workers who hold a current verification of competency for the felling level required (basic, intermediate or advanced) and who are named on the harvest plan may fell trees. Trees beyond the worker's competency level must be left standing and referred to the supervisor.

2.Before starting

The feller must complete the coupe pre-start check with the supervisor, confirm the boundaries, buffers and exclusion zones, and confirm radio contact. The chainsaw must be inspected: chain brake, throttle lock, chain catcher, tension, sharpness and fuel and oil levels. Personal protective equipment must be worn.

• Helmet with visor and hearing protection
• Chainsaw protective trousers or chaps
• Steel-capped cut-resistant boots
• High visibility clothing and gloves
• First aid kit and radio within reach

3.Assessing the tree

For every tree the feller must assess lean, weight distribution, wind, defects, hang-ups, dead limbs, surrounding trees and the intended felling direction. Two escape routes at 45 degrees back from the intended direction must be cleared before the first cut. A tree with a hazard that cannot be controlled must be marked and left, and the supervisor informed.

4.The danger zone

No person other than the feller may be inside a radius of two tree lengths of the tree being felled. The feller must check the danger zone before every cut and must not start the back cut until the zone is confirmed clear. Machines and other crews working nearby must be told by radio which trees are being felled.

5.Making the cuts

The feller must use a scarf and back cut leaving a holding wood hinge of the width and thickness appropriate to the tree, and use wedges or a tree jack where the tree is leaning against the intended direction. The feller must call the fall, move along the escape route as the tree begins to move and watch for falling limbs. Hung-up trees must never be climbed, worked under or felled onto and must be brought down with a machine.

6.Trimming and cross-cutting

Felled trees must be trimmed from the uphill side with the saw kept below shoulder height and the operator standing clear of the stem. Tension and compression in each log must be assessed before cross-cutting to prevent pinching and kickback.

7.Records

The supervisor must record the crew, the trees felled outside the machine plan, any tree left standing for hazard reasons and any incident on the daily coupe record in the harvest planner. Chainsaw maintenance must be recorded on the equipment card.