Clearing the Road

Clearing the Road
By Tim Ard, Forest Applications Training, Inc.

If a storm or natural process leaves debris for you to utilize your chainsaw skills on, what do you do? The treetop is in the road and you and your saw have to make movable pieces of it. Where you start may mean the difference between a little work and a lot of hard risky work. It could even mean injury or death to you or someone else with you.

So what do we do? How do we make a plan to complete this task the quickest and best that it can be done and safely...?

In most implementations of the storm cleanup process I see (and hear of), the operators simply grab a chainsaw, start it up and begin cutting the end of the tree that's over the road. Sound familiar? Is there another way?

A couple thoughts, I guess you could call them techniques; I've come to appreciate...

• Look over the situation at hand from several angles. Walk around and identify any hazards overhead and around the project. Are there saplings or limbs bent over creating spring poles in the work area.
• Identify any possibility of roll over or twisted side binds that you see. Could your feet and legs be quickly swept out from under you by side-to-side a movement?
• Is the trunk and now horizontal canopy going to come down with each cut or may that cut unleash up pressure that may come at you.
• What about backpressure from limbs imbedded and pushing back or the possibility of the tree sliding forward or down an embankment.
• Know the top four information steps before you make a cut. Repeat them over and over as you plan and execute each cut.
• Make sure your chainsaw is running up to the manufacturers specs and that your saw chain is sharp and cutting at it's best. Pushing and pulling are not techniques that are neither beneficial nor safe when cutting downed debris.

Does your plan begin at the crown in the road? Could it be that you could better accomplish the task to clear the road or area by starting at the butt of the tree? People ask me all the time what I mean with that statement. I will try to clarify...

• If I start at the end or crown of many trees it constitutes the need to cut high, sometimes higher than you should without a pole saw. Never cut above your shoulders with the saw and if you have to lift the saw a little high, make sure to turn the bar almost sideways to eliminate being right in line with the reactive kick-back forces and the cutting chain. Don't just cut with the spinning chain pointed right inline with your head and body. When you lift the saw very high or up and down often fatigue rises quickly. Fatigue and saw work do not mix well, like drinking, fatigue and driving.
• When you cut the limbs of the crown from the end, you generally have to cut and then stop and pull them out and down and maybe even out of the way.
• The limb ends, or top pieces, are usually smaller diameter and vibrate as the chain pulls them about. This increases chances of chain derailing and limbs throwing the saw about, usually at a level even with the upper body.
• More cuts on small limbs have to be made to start at the top.

The Alternative
• Begin at the butt end. It may be that you can start right at the stump. It often is better in your plan to move up the trunk to the edge of the road or first major crotch to begin the process. Try not to pass any limbs unless you are using them as support or scotches.
• When removing limbs up the trunk it's easier to maintain saw control at a lower level. You can work up the trunk removing limbs and having room to move and leaving some debris until you're out of the immediate area before swamper’s move it. Leaving the debris momentarily can even be used as roll protection or support. Moving should be practiced with the chain brake engaged and make sure to have a plan in mind and stabile footing before making the next cut.
• The neat part of de-limbing up the trunk direction is that you can severe the limb close to the trunk and in many cases the swamper can pull the limb right out of the road or back to the chipper without having to cut so many times. Limb direction can easily be changed too without having to do so much manhandling to get it off the road. Many trees you can remove and drag less that a dozen limbs to clear the road instead of fifty cuts on small pieces, making fifty trips to the roadside or chipper.

Just step back and look at your next tree cleanup project and you will see what I mean...

Please think about this too - Only one person with a saw on the tree until the tree is stabilized. You do not want one person cutting the trunk and another cutting limbs until these two sections are disconnected and stabile.

You don't want anything to roll over on another sawyer or someone pulling brush. Make sure to give enough distance between the sawyer and the swamper or brush tender.

Don't hold limbs waiting on them to be cut. Let the cuts be made, then come in when the Sawyer requests your help. Working too close together or trying to hurry the process and saw contact is inevitable.

Always wear Your Personal Protective Equipment when you operate a chain saw. Head, eye, ear, gloves, leg protection and boots are the best insurance you can have against personal injury, along with a complete cutting plan.

For more on this topic and many other chain saw safety thoughts and techniques visit www.ForestApps.com

Tim Ard is president of Forest Applications Training, Inc. Contact Tim with any questions or for further explanations at info@ForestApps.com. We specialize in training operators of outdoor power equipment at city, county and state levels nationwide.

© Copyright 2011 Forest Applications Training, Inc.


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