Windblown trees

[Hodge]

If you have an accident and you have the windblown ticket cs34 I think, then your insurance will cover you if you don't it won't. An estate shouldn't be using you to do stuff you are not qualified to do, even if you have been doing it for years in the eyes of the hse you are not capable. If you don't have 30/31 them you cannot use a saw on sites etc or be covered by insurance, this is the same.

[difflock]

I'm with Billy on this one.

Experience is all ASSUMING one has the cognative skills in the first place.

Training does not always be the answer, FACT!

Most of my felling is windthrow, OK only mostly Lodgepole with a few Sitka thrown in, and none more than 35 or 40 years of age, and OK rarely "fresh"

One wee chainsaw and no winch, study, ponder, plan for the "what ifs", escape routes etc etc, try a bit and watch (while listening, assimilate etc etc.

Again I am not doing it "against the clock" but surely one cannot do this work safely in any sort of unstudied way.

I would like to be a brain surgeon, fighter pilot, rally car driver, but recognise I do not have the necessary attributes, mental or physical for any of these occupations.

I can however or why-ever "read" a tree.

Purely intutivetly, reinforced by experience.

M

But yes obviousley if not happy/unsure, dont do it.

[Bald Monkey]

Well, I managed to get through it unscathed. I just took my time and nibbled away at it. My way probably wasn't the best way but I've learned from it. I have also had a word with the estate manager telling him that I don't feel up to doing these type of trees and he sort of said OK. So we will see.

 

Cheers everyone for the posts, I'm definitely going to look at doing the windblown course as a matter of urgency. My other half has given me strict instructions not to do anymore, and she is the boss

[JimM]

There was a lad on here from Fort William way with much the same issue a couple of months ago.

 

I did 34, 35 last year. You need 32 before these two.

 

4 days for all 3 then the assessment. You can do it over my neck of the woods (scuse the pun). About 650 all in and can help you with free accomm if you need. Its pretty much entirely practical and is a wake-up call to those who want to dive in with a saw straight away. A handwinch is a must have and you will be expected to demonstrate its use and the techniques involved with using strops etc. You'll spend more time carefully assessing then winching, rather than cutting on the 34/35.

 

Estates "Just expect" up here. The peer pressure is dangerous. A friend was influenced into doing a storm damaged willow and earned a "chainsaw scratch". Not qualified, not PPE'd, just expected to be able to do it.

[Bald Monkey]

Well today I made a big decision, hopefully the right one. After being asked to do a few more windblown with root plates attached I decided to tell the estate manager I wasn't comfortable doing these. This has done me out of work but he appreciated my honesty and agreed that if you are not comfortable doing them they are best left alone.

 

The work I'm actually looking for up here is general estate maintenance, i.e. fencing, animal husbandry/feeding, road repairs, mowing etc. This job was 9 to 10 hrs a day on all windblown trees on my own for not a lot reward. If something had gone wrong I dread to think how long I would be there anyway not the best start to the move north but I'd prefer not to be earning money than earning money and potentially picking up a nasty injury.

 

Feel free to comment

[felixthelogchopper]

Well today I made a big decision, hopefully the right one. After being asked to do a few more windblown with root plates attached I decided to tell the estate manager I wasn't comfortable doing these. This has done me out of work but he appreciated my honesty and agreed that if you are not comfortable doing them they are best left alone.

 

The work I'm actually looking for up here is general estate maintenance, i.e. fencing, animal husbandry/feeding, road repairs, mowing etc. This job was 9 to 10 hrs a day on all windblown trees on my own for not a lot reward. If something had gone wrong I dread to think how long I would be there anyway not the best start to the move north but I'd prefer not to be earning money than earning money and potentially picking up a nasty injury.

 

Feel free to comment

 

At the risk of being blunt, you would be no use to your family 6 ft under.

[JimM]

At the risk of being blunt, you would be no use to your family 6 ft under.

 

Seconded!

 

Is there anyone else over your way that can lend a hand with these trees?

[Stephen Blair]

Any employer willing to let you loose on windblow, yourself with no experience or ticket should be avoided!!

[shanks]

.....Feel free to comment

 

If your not happy doing it, then you made the right choice. On the other hand, doing it is really the only way to learn.

 

As others have said, each one will be different. Just take a good, long hard look at it. Even remove a few limbs and see how its going to react. The roots run so shallow up here that I've only had a few that want to stand back up. The ones that did were most impressive though, had a 15ft butt section spring itself back upright off some deer fencing at the begining of the year. Thats something i'll never forget.

[Bald Monkey]

Cheers people for the replies. I feel a lot better now I've made that decision and walked away. I actually got to the stage where I was driving into work dreading it and thinking 'today something is going to go wrong'. This is definitely not the mindset to be in with working these trees.

 

I want our move north to work, I'm not really bothered what I do as long as I can spend time with the wife and dog and earn enough to pay the bills. We are intending to by a cheap place in the future and have as small mortgage as possible. Luckily over the years we have built up a decent deposit from equity in other houses.

 

I'm currently applying for a job as a refuse collector, not ideal but it would be a permanent job with more than enough money for what we personally need.