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Improvement of Utilization by Advanced Felling Methods

The document discusses improving utilization through advanced felling methods. It describes cutting activities, safety principles, objectives to minimize damage and maximize value, and recommended practices like directional felling, cutting climbers in advance, and felling away from slopes.

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nadeem khan
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8 views

Improvement of Utilization by Advanced Felling Methods

The document discusses improving utilization through advanced felling methods. It describes cutting activities, safety principles, objectives to minimize damage and maximize value, and recommended practices like directional felling, cutting climbers in advance, and felling away from slopes.

Uploaded by

nadeem khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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IMPROVEMENT OF

UTILIZATION BY
ADVANCED FELLING
METHODS
WHAT IT IS

Cutting includes all activities undertaken to fell standing trees and prepare
them for extraction.
 In some regions this set of activities is referred to as "felling.“
Cutting activities include felling the standing tree, measuring its length to
determine the best log lengths, removing the limbs and crosscutting the
stem (and sometimes also large limbs) into logs.
Removal of bark from the stem, when done, is also considered part of the
cutting operation.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Cutting is among the most hazardous of all industrial occupations.


• Trees are large, heavy objects, and fall with a tremendous force that can
smash or uproot neighboring trees. Their limbs may break off and fly in
unpredictable directions.
• The felled tree may roll or slide downhill, and its stem may shatter into
pieces that can bounce into the air and roll uncontrollably.
• In felling operations, therefore, much emphasis must be placed on safety
and training.
• In addition to causing excessive damage to advance regeneration
and residual trees, uncontrolled felling can also substantially reduce
efficiency in the subsequent extraction operation.
• In comparison, directional felling can reduce damage to both
vegetation and soils, keep trees away from streams and increase the
utilizable volume of the tree stem by reducing breakage.
• It can also help reduce the frequency and severity of accidents
associated with felling operations.
OBJECTIVES
Properly conducted cutting / felling operations should:
ensure the safety of cutting crews and other personnel working in the
vicinity of the cutting operation;
minimize damage to residual trees and seedlings, especially those that are
expected to make up the population of future crop trees;
minimize damage to soils and streams;
maximize the volume of wood that can be profitably utilized from each
felled tree;
maximize the value of the logs prepared for extraction;
facilitate extraction activities.
POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF
IMPROPER CUTTING OPERATIONS

Improper felling operations may result in:


• a poor safety record and high insurance or compensation costs;
• high cutting costs;
• low utilization rates;
• low profitability from improperly crosscut logs;
• inefficient and costly extraction due to the haphazard placement of tree stems rather than
their correct alignment with respect to extraction routes;
• excessive damage to residual trees and seedlings;
• excessive damage to soils and streams;
RECOMMENDED PRACTICES

• In cutting operations, the first consideration must always be safety. This


implies that all members of the crew must be in good health and that
continuous training and close supervision are essential.
• Cutting must only be done by competent personnel outfitted with appropriate
safety gear and using properly maintained equipment. Most cutting worldwide
is done with chainsaws. By far the largest number of logging accidents
occurring annually are associated with chainsaws.
In some areas, manual tools such as crosscut saws are still commonly used in
cutting operations. Properly used and kept in good condition, these are
perfectly good tools that can be far more cost-effective in many developing
countries than chainsaws. Even such simple tools can be very dangerous,
however, and their use requires proper training and supervision.
Where selection harvesting is being used, trees to be harvested should be
marked before cutting begins. The detailed harvesting map prepared during the
planning stage should be taken into the field and used to help decide which trees
are to be removed. This information should be noted on the map for use by the
harvesting crews.
In forests where climbers tend to bridge across tree crowns, the climbers should
be cut well in advance of the cutting operation so that they will die and become
brittle. This reduces the chance of a felled tree pulling over neighbouring trees
as it falls. Climber cutting can often be done at the same time as the trees are
being marked for felling.
On steep slopes, trees should not be felled directly down the slope unless their
downhill lean is so great that directional felling techniques are unable to pull
the tree into another direction.
Where possible, trees should be felled in the direction of existing canopy gaps in
order to reduce damage to nearby standing timber.
• To maximize the volume and value of wood recovered from each
tree, cutting crews should be trained to follow proper crosscutting
procedures. This requires that the entire bole be measured prior to
crosscutting and that log lengths be determined according to mill
requirements.
• Special safety precautions must be taken whenever there is a
possibility that members of the public or other persons not directly
involved in the felling operations might be endangered. When felling
is to be done near roadways, for instance, it is essential that a flag
bearer be posted on the road to halt traffic until the tree has been
safely brought to the ground.

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