Fell and process trees over 380mm — Lantra Awards End-Point Assessment Horticulture & Land Management Revision
This subtopic equips candidates with the skills to safely fell and process large-diameter trees (over 380mm), emphasizing compliance with health and safety
Topic Synopsis
This subtopic equips candidates with the skills to safely fell and process large-diameter trees (over 380mm), emphasizing compliance with health and safety legislation and industry best practice. Learners will master risk assessment, precision cutting techniques, branch removal, and the controlled takedown of hung-up trees, ensuring operational efficiency and legal adherence in professional arboriculture.
Key Concepts & Core Principles
- Felling cuts: Understand the three main cuts – top cut (open-face notch), bottom cut, and back cut – and how their angles and depths control the tree's direction of fall. For trees over 380mm, the hinge wood must be thick enough to guide the tree but not so thick that it prevents a clean break.
- Bore cutting: A technique used to release tension in leaning or hung-up trees. It involves cutting into the tree from the side to create a hinge before completing the back cut, reducing the risk of splitting or barber chairing.
- Use of wedges: Plastic or metal wedges are essential for controlling the fall of large trees. They are driven into the back cut to lift the tree and overcome backward lean, and must be used in pairs to avoid kickback.
- Escape routes: Plan and clear two escape routes at 45-degree angles away from the predicted fall direction. These must be free of obstructions and allow the operator to move quickly to a safe distance (at least twice the tree height).
- Processing techniques: After felling, the tree must be de-limbed, cross-cut, and possibly split. For trees over 380mm, use a chainsaw with a bar length at least 2 inches longer than the tree's diameter, and employ techniques like the 'sink cut' to prevent binding.
Exam Tips & Revision Strategies
- Verbally walk the assessor through your decision-making process for every cut, including risk justification, as this demonstrates deep understanding of the principles.
- Precisely calculate the felling direction using a guide bar or sighting line, and confirm it verbally to the assessor before cutting to show methodical practice.
- In practical assessments, always perform a full equipment check and site inspection aloud—it is a scrutineered element of the marking scheme.
- For hung-up tree scenarios, state the hierarchy of control: prefer winching or mechanical extraction, and only resort to cutting if it is demonstrably safe and necessary.
- Revise key legislation like the Health and Safety at Work Act, PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations), and LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations), as examiners often test specific legal references in knowledge questions.
Common Misconceptions & Mistakes to Avoid
- Failing to account for side lean or asymmetrical canopy weight when determining the felling direction, causing inaccurate or dangerous tree fall.
- Omitting to clear a safe retreat path and adequately sound the 'timber' warning before the back cut is completed.
- Using inadequate or improvised tools to lever a hung-up tree, increasing the risk of sudden release and serious injury.
- Cutting through the hinge wood prematurely or creating an uneven hinge, leading to loss of control (barber chairing or premature fall).
- Assuming all hung-up trees can be freed by cutting alone, without first attempting mechanical assistance like winching.
Examiner Marking Points
- Demonstrate a comprehensive site-specific risk assessment and confirm all safety control measures are in place before commencing any felling or processing activity.
- Execute a directional notch and back cut that produce a controlled fell, with hinge wood correctly sized and positioned relative to the tree's lean and intended direction.
- Safely remove branches from felled trees using appropriate limbing sequences, chainsaw handling, and maintaining a secure footing at all times.
- Apply an approved method to take down a hung-up tree—such as using a winch or safe cutting sequence—with clear justification for the chosen technique.
- Consistently wear full PPE (helmet, visor, leg protection, chainsaw boots) and operate the chainsaw with correct starting, fuel handling, and maintenance procedures as per manufacturer guidelines.