Trim and Cut Felled Trees

This unit of competency describes the knowledge and skills required to trim and cut felled trees with a chainsaw and complete operator maintenance.

For the purpose of this unit of competency, a felled tree is any tree or part thereof, including, but not limited to, a tree trunk, branch or limb that has fallen or has been felled and is laying on the ground in a bushland, plantation, forested or other setting, including parklands, roadways and urban areas. 

The unit applies to individuals who trim and cut felled trees as part of arboriculture, forestry, horticulture, agriculture, conservation and land management, local government, emergency services and other government agency operations. With the exception of minor forest produce, this unit does not apply to commercial harvesting operations.

All work must be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, according to state/territory health and safety regulations, legislation, standards and industry codes of practice that apply to the workplace.

An individual demonstrating competency must satisfy all of the elements and performance criteria in this unit. There must be evidence that the individual has assessed and planned trimming and cutting of one felled tree, and trimmed branches and cut sections of a felled tree using all cuts listed below:

- bridging cuts
- swinging cuts
- boring cuts
- wedge cuts
- ripping cuts
- stagger or step cuts.

In performing this task, the individual has:

- followed workplace policies and procedures, current workplace health and safety legislation, regulations and related industry standards and codes of practice applicable to trimming and cutting felled tree operations.
- checked and sharpened or changed a saw chain post trimming and cutting on one occasion according to manufacturer instructions.

Students must have an appropriate level of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) and physical capabilities to meet the performance criteria of this unit. For further information, or if you have any concerns, please contact us on 1300 CIVIL S.

On the day, students must wear standard work wear, enclosed safety shoes, long shirt and pants to participate in the course.