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Learning to fell

Woodland by Katie McEvoy

Katie's amazed by how much learning there is in safely maintaining and using a chainsaw...

Hi, I'm Katie and I'm one of the Trust's conservation trainees. Stumbling upon the advertised traineeship, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but at my interview, I was given an insight into what I could be doing. Different training courses, woodland management, working outdoors in all weathers were just a few of the things mentioned  - I just had to do it and, fortunately, I got the call that same day offering me one of the positions.

I have a keen interest in gaining as many practical skills as possible, and the traineeship has given me the opportunity to do just that, which I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Most of my working life has been centred around birds of prey. As a bird of prey trainer at a centre in North Yorkshire for five years, as well as being the volunteer co-ordinator, I gained public speaking and demonstration skills.

Fast forward to January 2023 and I have been with the Trust for four months so far and what fun it has been. There are four trainees, all from different backgrounds but all with a similar interest of wanting to focus our career on wildlife and conservation work.

Person in protective clothing cutting a fallen tree with a chainsaw, supervised by another person in protective clothing

Cutting a felled tree

A course that we all take part in is the much talked about “chainsaw course”. It's personally one of my favourites so far so I thought I'd take a closer look at it with you. As soon as I started I expressed interest straight away in learning how to operate a chainsaw safely. I was informed that we get the chance to be trained to do this, which sounded great. The five day course covers maintenance, cross-cutting, felling and processing trees up to 380mm and took place over two weeks; the first week focusing on maintenance and cross cutting with the second week focusing on felling.

The first week soon came round. We met our instructor Pete at HQ and went straight to the workshop. Me, Romy (trainee) and two trust volunteers Rob and John were taking part. We kitted ourselves out in PPE, most importantly hats with visors and chainsaw trousers and boots. All of us had very little to no experience of using a chainsaw so this was all very new. We were shown how to safely maintain a chainsaw involving cleaning, chain sharpening and checking that all components work and are in good order. Honestly there is so much to it! Sharpening a chainsaw involves having the correct file sizes for that particular chain, proceeding to file at the correct angle and direction ensuring all teeth are done equally.

It really surprised me how much there was to learn about maintenance but it is vital to ensure that the Trust has reliable chainsaws that will last.

Day two involved a recap on maintenance in the morning, then moving on to cross-cutting and how to process trees when on the ground. This is something we come across regularly in our nature reserves. We had to learn about tension and compression because there is a risk of the saw becoming stuck. We also learnt about kickback, a risk of the saw kicking back out of the wood and into you, which of course can be dangerous. Pete taught us to start up the chainsaws from cold, fuel checks and oil checks, all of which are all vital in passing the assessment. The course is split into two sections with an assessment for each. I was dreading the assessments as I get very nervous when being examined or questioned. There was a lot of information to retain, particularly the health and safety part!

Day three of the first week was assessment day. I was so nervous. Romy and I decided to go first to get it done. The assessor was very thorough but we managed to answer all of the questions correctly (even though I had to ask for a few of them to be rephrased). We then demonstrated what we had learned on maintaining the chainsaws and demonstrated our cross-cutting techniques. I am pleased to say we passed and we were both over the moon. We had the weekend to recoup and revise then onto the more serious task of felling the following week.

A recently cut tree trunk by Katie McEvoy

Felling a tree by Katie McEvoy

We arrived fresh at the nature reserve for our first day of felling training. This is a whole different ball game to cutting wood that’s on the ground. There is a lot to consider - direction of felling, trip hazards, exit routes and public safety. After we had our safety briefing, put on our PPE and did our cold start checks Pete started to teach us different fell cuts. We were shown six cuts but only had to demonstrate three for our assessment. On the first day of the second week we practiced the basic fell cut. In principle, it is the basic cut commonly used to fell a tree. We were shown how to make the hinge by cutting two segments at the front of the tree in the direction you wanted it to go. Then proceeded to cut from the back, towards the hinge, stopping just before it. Then, using a tool called a felling lever, we inserted it into the cut to slowly bring down the tree. Felling poses challenges too. Trees get stuck (foresters call this 'hung up') and had to learn to take them down. This mostly involves manoeuvring the tree - we used a large stick as a pole to put underneath and push, which helped too.

The second day of felling was admittedly my worst. It was the day we were learning the split level cut. This is, in my opinion, the most difficult of the cuts we had to learn. I just could not get it right. Even after working on it for most of the day, I struggled and got very frustrated. The day was mentally and physically draining and, to top it off, the weather was not pleasant! Sleep helped and we started fresh the following morning for more felling, most of which was recap of what we had covered and then going through the final bits of theory for the assessment the following Monday.

Woman in protective wear clothing holding a chainsaw by a pile of logs

Katie with chainsaw

Assessment day loomed closer. I spent all weekend revising, going through theory and watching YouTube videos on the different cuts we had to demonstrate. The split level cut was making me nervous. When Monday came, we were back at the nature reserve ready to go. I must admit, I wanted to pass more than anything, this course was a big deal to me and passing meant a lot. The assessment went well. We had to demonstrate our felling techniques. Ironically, I didn’t get the basic fell cut correct first time and the split level cut was spot on! After repeating and safely demonstrating all techniques we were told we had passed. Phew! I was so happy. We all gave each other a hug and a well deserved pat on the back.

Chainsaw and forestry work is an integral part of reserve management. It is something I was keen to learn about, hoping to find work in that field once completing the traineeship. In some nature reserves thinning of trees takes place to allow light and space for the tree and plant varieties to thrive. If the canopy becomes too dense, the woodland becomes too dark.

After my experience, I struggle to believe that you can just walk into a store and buy a chainsaw over the counter. They are dangerous machines that if handled incorrectly can cause serious injury. I am grateful I had the opportunity to take the course and gain a forestry qualification, allowing me to add the skill to my CV. It was worth every moment, even if at one point I was nearly in tears from frustration. I look forward to what the rest of the traineeship brings and to keeping you updated.

 

With a passion for the outdoors, Katie McEvoy is enjoying learning new skills to help her transition from a career working with birds of prey to one undertaking practical conservation work.

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