Forest Operations > Conduct Feller Buncher Operations > Dealing With Difficult Trees

Dealing With Difficult Trees

Trees with overhead hazards

Where a tree has an overhead hazard (e.g. hung-up tree or widow maker lodged in upper branches) it is possible to:

• Fell a nearby tree into the one with the hazard, in a way that brings the hazard down;
• Carefully fell the tree with the overhead hazard, being aware of the potential direction of fall of the hazard;
• Reach up the tree with the felling head and dislodge the hazard;
• Ensure that any overhead hazards created during felling are brought down;
• In particular, don’t leave widow makers or broken tops as overhead hazards in adjoining stands where manual chainsaw felling may be used in the future.

Fig 1 Dangerous trees must be pulled down

Trees with interlocked branches

Where a tree has interlocked branches with a neighbouring tree, it may be felled by:

• Moving the butt away from the standing tree; be aware that the top may break out and fall towards your machine;
• Pushing the cut tree upwards with the outer boom of the machine, breaking off the interlocked branches;
• Driving the machine backwards tilting the felling head forwards, releasing the tree, and letting it roll out of the other tree.

Felling double leaders

There may be some felling techniques you will have to use to fell the trees safely and efficiently.

If the double leaders are low enough to the ground, and the feller buncher can reach them you may be able to:

• clamp one of the stems;
• cut it off;
• place it on the ground;
• then clamp the remaining stem at the base, cut it off and place on the ground.