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Chainsaw FellingOp Rubric Writeup

The document outlines the learning objectives and tasks for students regarding chainsaw operation and tree felling techniques, emphasizing safety, inspection, and maintenance of chainsaws. Students are required to demonstrate practical skills, including identifying hazards, creating cutting plans, and understanding forces in woody materials. The assessment includes safe handling, notch and hinge planning, and post-felling inspections to ensure proper execution and safety during chainsaw operations.

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5 views7 pages

Chainsaw FellingOp Rubric Writeup

The document outlines the learning objectives and tasks for students regarding chainsaw operation and tree felling techniques, emphasizing safety, inspection, and maintenance of chainsaws. Students are required to demonstrate practical skills, including identifying hazards, creating cutting plans, and understanding forces in woody materials. The assessment includes safe handling, notch and hinge planning, and post-felling inspections to ensure proper execution and safety during chainsaw operations.

Uploaded by

jbgismondi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chainsaw Operation and Felling (5%)

OBJECTIVE

The learning objective is to identify potentially dangerous on-site conditions,


emergencies, hazards and materials. Students shall demonstrate various
felling techniques for tree removal by establishing a felling plan and
demonstrating various notches and cuts as required. Students will determine
tree felling techniques based on various considerations such as; tree health,
tree characteristics and structural defects, leans and loads of the tree, trees
with splits or cavities as well as mitigating “hung up” trees. Basic chainsaw
operations are a review from semester 1 arborist hand tools course and will
help students develop skills to utilize chainsaws safely aloft to dismantle
trees.

TASK

Students will demonstrate practical and theoretical knowledge of chainsaw


operations on the ground. Utilizing a bolt of wood strapped to a tree,
students will assess the tree utilized as if felling the tree but perform
cutting tasks on the bolt/s of wood only.
Students will also utilize logs to adequately demonstrate an
understanding of forces applied in woody material.

TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE : 140 Points

Gear Required: Appropriate PPE, Ground operations chainsaw in safe working


order, 3 x 4-5 ft bolts of wood with a minimum of 8 inches diameter, 1-2
ratchet straps

Task:

A. Pre-inspections and Maintenance

Students will be asked to discuss and demonstrate the basic


requirements for chainsaw inspections to verify the tool is appropriate
for safe operations.

Four main safety features of the chainsaw can be found in Arborist


Hand tools course package pages 10-14.

Fuel and bar oil requirements can be found in pages 34-35 of the
Arborist Hand tools course package.

The Anti-vibration system (AVS) is an ergonomic feature on chainsaws


that may consist of springs or rubber mounts or a combination of the
two which connects the front and rear handles to the body of the saw.
These mounts help alleviate the vibrations during operations from the
operator thereby reducing the damaging
effects leading to Raynaud's syndrome or Hand-Arm Vibration
Syndrome (HAVS).

During inspections, the operator needs to ensure rubber mounts have


not deteriorated; becoming cracked, dry or damaged or otherwise can
become too soft and spongy. Excessive fluids such as leaking bar oil or
consistent fuel spills can lead to premature deterioration.

Spring mounts should be inspected to ensure springs are not stretched


and distorted and maintain a secure connection. Spring mounts are
often stretched when operators use excessive forces during operations
such as reefing on the saw if it becomes pinched in wood or operating
with poor chain maintenance ie. dull chains.

PPE requirements for operating a chainsaw can be found in the Arborist


Hand Tools course package on page 4.

Chainsaw sharpening and depth gauge maintenance can be found


on Pages 20-25 in the Arborist Hand Tools course package.

B. Safe Handling of the Chainsaw

Pages 36-39 of the Arborist Hand tools course package discusses safe
handling of the chainsaw during start up and operations and the risks
associated with
chainsaw reactive forces.

C. Technical Tree Cutting Plan

Students are required to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the


six step cutting plan found on page 50 of Arborist Hand Tools course
package.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of tree hazards and


inspections by pointing out a minimum of 8 hazards and targets found
in both the outer and inner perimeter inspection. Key risks and
hazards shall be identified even if the tree chosen presents more than
the minimum requirement of 8.

When identifying the leans and loads of trees and woody material to
be cut, the faller shall determine both the true lean and the apparent
lean of the tree and biomass. The faller needs to assess from the
direction of fell (DOF) to determine side to side leans as well as 90°
opposite the DOF to determine forward and back leans.
Determining the height of the tree utilizing the stick trick:

1. Choose a straight stick slightly longer than the length of your arm
2. Hold your arm fully extended at a 90° angle with the end of the
stick in line with your eye.
3. Pivot the stick in your hand to position the stick vertically at a
90° without moving your head or dropping your arm
4. Holding the stick in position, walk back in the DOF until your
eye aligns with the top of the stick and the top of the tree.
5. The distance from the location you stand
to the base of the tree is equivalent to the
height of the tree.
Leaning trees and trees on slopes must have additional considerations to
ensure a more accurate estimate of height is made.
Students shall describe and demonstrate an understanding of the risks
of felling and determine a safe retreat plan or escape route prior to
cutting woody material. Information on retreat plans/ escape routes
and 5 15 90 rule statistics can be found on page 49 of the Arborist
Hand Tools course package.

During the operation of chainsaws, it’s important to ensure a secure


and ergonomic grip of the front and rear handles. The front handle of
the chainsaw was designed for ergonomics with considerations of the
common notches and cutting angles professional arborists and forestry
workers utilize.

As discussed on pages 37-38 of the Arborist Hand Tools course


package, a full finger and thumb wrap is vital for reducing risks of
rotational and linear kickback. The position of the front and rear hands
needs to correlate with the angles of the cut; ensuring wrists remain
straight to reduce the harmful vibrations on overstretched tendons and
muscles.

Students shall describe and demonstrate a notch and hinge plan on a


bolt of wood (a section of tree trunk ratchet strapped to a tree) For
more information on various notches see pages 44-48 of Arborist Hand
Tools course package.

Students shall demonstrate an understanding of the use of wedges


for basic mechanical advantage when felling trees. There are 2
main types of wedges;
Felling wedges (aka winter wedges) and Bucking wedges (aka summer
wedges). Felling wedges have dogs/spikes/teeth/cleats on one side for
extra grip in the wood when felling, whereas bucking wedges are
smooth on both sides. The dogs/spikes/teeth/cleats on felling wedges
are to be positioned facing down so as to grab on the stump rather
than the woody material that will be moving thereby risking the wedge
from moving with the material. Felling wedges should be used with the
wedge directly behind the hinge plan to ensure an even lift to work
with the notch and hinge plan. If positioned to one side, the faller
increases risk of prematurely failing one side of the hinge before the
other. A Felling wedge is placed in the kerf of the back cut as soon as
the faller has space. As the faller makes the back cut into the wood,
the saw brake shall be engaged periodically and the faller may tap the
wedge with an axe or
mallet deeper into the
back cut chasing the guide
bar and chain but also
ensure not to tap too far
and hit the guide bar and
chain.
During demonstrations, students shall demonstrate both safe starting
methods; ground and standing start as discussed on page 38 of the
Arborist Hand Tools course package.

Following the completion of a notch and back cut, students shall


discuss a post felling inspection of the worksite. After all cutting
operations, it's important to ensure the worksite remains safe and no
new hazards from the cut have been created. Sawers should discuss a
stump mortem; assessing the notch and back cut and determine how
accurate the felling plan was executed. This allows fallers to
understand where the plan could have been improved for the next cut.

D. Limbing and Bucking

Students shall demonstrate understanding of forces in woody material;


correctly identifying both tension and compression forces in a log to be
bucked. Students can then describe and demonstrate the correct
cutting sequence in order to mitigate those forces.

Identify the difference of felling vs. bucking wedges and explain their
correct use. Bucking wedges are used similarly to felling wedges as
they are placed in the kerf of the cut and ‘chase’ the guide bar and
chain while cutting. Bucking wedges, when used correctly, help
prevent the faller from pinching the saw when cutting deep in the
compression wood. When tension wood is inaccessible, ie. laying close
to the ground, the faller can utilize wedges to open the kerf larger
while cutting through the compression wood and allow the woody
material to lift and reduce the risk of cutting into the ground.

Students shall further describe the safe release of a spring pole as


described in pages 41-43 of the Arborist Hand Tools course package.

E. Overall Safe Chainsaw Use

Throughout the duration of competency the student will be assessed


on safe use of the chainsaw and cutting techniques.

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