Safety in Irish Forestry
Almost any work that is undertaken in Irish forestry these days is going to be dangerous to some degree. Everyone thinks that the only forestry operations that can pose a danger are three felling and heavy pruning operations. The truth is that a lot of the work that goes on within the commercial forest environment these days really has to be treated with a lot of respect. In general, the risks involved in working in a commercial forestry environment have increased over the last few decades. This is because of the large use of mechanical equipment such as the chainsaw.
Everybody that uses the chainsaw inside an Irish Forest must have undergone a rigorous training regime which not takes the trainee through the felling a tree, and keeping the person of faith while the trees being felled; there is also a large part of the course which involves the correct maintenance of the chainsaw. Maintenance is one of the key ingredients to being safe. This is because if a chainsaw is properly maintained, it is less likely to break down and in the event of breaking down injure somebody.
Chainsaws are used for a variety of different purposes within the forest. At one stage, it used to be that chainsaws were the main method of felling trees. This has all changed thanks to the commercial forestry harvester which can do a much better job than any one man can. But, there are places where a commercial harvester cannot go, and this is where the chainsaw comes into its own. For instance, on the side of the steep hills, a commercial harvester will not be able to travel, so the man with the chainsaw is the only option for felling trees. Another reason why the chainsaw will be used in forestry is to create a forest access once the forest has closed in to the degree that a person can no longer penetrate the forest interior.