River bank job

[irish surgeon]

Hi all, just wanting your opinion on a job I have to look at where low lying branches have to be cut as part of a flood relief operation it stretches over 1k along a river bank with species such as sycamore and laylandii, approx 400 metres has a cattle field behind trees but the band of trees are tight and pretty dense with the farm owner only happy to open up 2-3 sections to bring branches out through, also the job stipulates that no branches can fall into river which is going to be tricky basically I am wondering has anyone on here done a similar job and what method was used, any ideas would be much appreciated. Cheers

[Old Mill Tree Care]

I did this a few years ago. Crack Willows on the river bank. All the lowest limbs had to come off so we attached an old rope to each limb and to my Unimog, tensioned the rope, cut the branch and gunned the throttle to drag the limb out.

If you don't have a 4x4 a which will do it, just slower.

If retrieval of the branches from the water is tricky, put a pulley up the tree to stop the branch going in the water.

[born2trot]

Yeah , take your time and make sure not even a twig goes in the water.

you will definetely be watched believe me.

[WorcsWuss]

All the firms which do this work round here seem to have shiny new John Deeres with loaders on the front & winches on the back, colour coded too no less... it's obviously lucrative! [Or they don't know their costs, which is equally plausible....]

[irish surgeon]

Yes I have a holder tractor and 4 tonne winch but was also thinking of loadall and maybe extending boom out longside whatever tree is being cut attach rope, lift to tension, cut and bring extension back in. There is another guy who's pricing to do it with a barge with the intention of cutting branches to fall on barge and to off load them near the closest opening but I just can't see how that is going to work if there's a flow in the river.

[Treecreeper1961]

Wait for a big flood and cut 'em all off. Sorted.

[WorcsWuss]

I think that they strop onto the limbs with the winch and then just fell them where they land and winch them out... doesn't seem to be a particularly precision operation. The bank opposite our house has been done recently...

[irish surgeon]

Would be a very quick job if let go in the flood I know it's not a very precise job but am a bit worried about catching branches against the bank and causing dirt to fall into river, I guess all these jobs are very hard to explain by txt

[WorcsWuss]

Who has drawn up the spec for this? Presumably you can present a method statement to them for approval before you start? No arguments then...

[Charlieh]

Check the spec, but I would interpret what you have written as you must remove all the branches out the river not letting them float away (not that no branches can enter the water at all), I have done work for EA on banksides and we have been ok to let stuff drop into the river and then pull it out, you can also install a floating boom across the river downstream if its not to big to catch most the twigs and sawdust if your that worried, I would spend more time making sure that you meet the specs on the other aspects re-havs, spill kits, environmental fuels and oils etc.