Medium / Large Fell: space available.

There is a space available on the medium / large fell course at Sparsholt College.

The course, which runs in January from the 27th-31st used to be the old CS32, but is now the Level 3 Award in Felling and Processing Trees Over 380mm.

In this course, you'll learn a variety of different cuts and deal with winching operations, as well as legal and environmental considerations and health & safety issues.

To find out more, you can visit the NPTC website where you  can find details of the assessment requirements at http://www.nptc.org.uk/qualificationschemedetail.aspx?id=352 or contact Sparsholt College at 01962 797213 (Gill Yeeles).

Need a chainsaw trainer?

Apologies again for not putting up more posts - especially as we now have the new NPTC units to deliver. With the ending of the old CSnn units, and the creation of the new Level 2 and Level 3 Awards which came into force back in June, there have been some changes to the training. So, here on DriveLink we'll be taking a look at some of those changes, and also a 'new' felling cut that has appeared in the L2 Award in Felling and Processing Small Trees (was CS31).

But first, one of the reasons why I've not been posting on here is that I left my job as Forestry & Arboriculture Short Course Manager at Sparsholt College to go out on my own. At the time, I was busy with woodfuel and the wood heat industry, as well as continuing to deliver some training at Sparsholt.

This post then, is just to let you know that if you require a contract chainsaw trainer, please do get in touch with me directly on 0790 067 7715 or via the contact form to the right.

My experience:

I spent 8 years managing and delivering forestry and arboriculture short courses at Sparsholt College:

• CS30 / L2 Award in Chainsaw Maintenance & Cross-Cutting
• CS31 / L2 Award in Felling and Processing of Trees up to 380mm.
• CS32 / L3 Award in Felling and Processing of Trees over 380mm
• CS38 / L2 Award in Tree Climbing & Aerial Rescue
• CS39 / L3 Award in Aerial Cutting of Tress
• as well as stump grinding, woodchipper operations and MEWP operations.

I'm also a qualified teacher and mentor, holding QTLS, Cert. Ed. Certificated Mentor, BA(Hons) in Post Compulsory Education & Training, an NVQ assessor (A1), and a member of the Institute for Learning (M.IfL) and Associate Member of the Institute of Equality and Diversity Practitioners.

I have an excellent reputation for training, and believe in providing inclusive training to help everyone achieve their goals.

Contact me via the form on the right, or call me on 0790 067 7715 to discuss your training requirements.

CS31: Check the tree out...

In the last post we took a quick dive into choosing the direction of fell for your tree; but before we get too far ahead of ourselves, in this post we'll chat about inspecting the tree.

Click here to find out more...

Before you take chainsaw to tree, you really need to know what you're dealing with; we've already looked at how the tree canopy (or the tree's form) can affect the weighting and therefore the felling cut used, but there's a bit more to check out first.

Completing a quick visual tree assessment is a great idea; you're looking for potential hazards (dead wood in the tree or hanging branches that might come down), anything that might cause loss of control of the tree (rot caused by fungal growth - see the image at the top) and whether there are signs of birds nesting, hornet / wasp / bee nests, bat roosts and so on. Look for signs of old remedial work on the tree... are there wire braces in it? Indeed, are there any other wires running to it, or through it (power lines, telephone lines, aerials, etc.). Once you have this information you can take the appropriate action, which may mean talking to the local council, government agency, landowner or other relevant authority before commencing work.

CS31: Before you start the saw...

There's always a great clamour to get out into the woods and fell the biggest tree! But just stop and think for a moment... is that really the best thing to do if you've only just started your CS31. Cutting down a big tree requires a lot of clearing up! If something goes wrong during the fell, how are you going to deal with it? You can also get away with being slightly less accurate in your cuts with bigger trees, masking potential problems that you might have with your cuts. So, before we even start the saw, let's work through the next few posts discussing how to make it safer, as well as ensuring that you get the most out of the training that you're doing.

Click to find out more...

The first thing to do before you take a saw to the tree, is just to look at it, and the surrounding environment. Ask yourself questions such as... "Are there powerlines or other cables within two tree lengths?", "Are there public footpaths or bridleways that might require the use of a banksman, as well as signs?", "Are the weather conditions conducive to maintaining control of the tree during the felling operation?".

Of course, this is just the start of the process, as you need to be thinking about the direction of fell, the state of the tree, the weighting of the tree and so on.

In this post, we'll take a quick look at deciding on the felling direction. There are always instances where it doesn't really matter which way you fell the tree, but certainly on your assessment, the assessor will want to know which way you want to fell it. If you lose control of the tree and it falls down in a completely different direction, then that's not going to look good!

Of course, in many circumstances you are limited in your choice, be that due to other trees, buildings, fence lines, public areas or just the form of the tree. All these things, and more, need to be taken into account when you decide which way to fell the tree. Here's a quick tip to help you decide if you need to consider whether the weighting of the tree is definitely going to be a factor when choosing the direction of fell and the type of felling cut...

If you've got an idea of the direction you wish to take the tree down, then it's not a bad idea to walk in that direction and look back at the tree, checking for anything that might get in the way of it coming straight down... branches from another tree, a powerline, etc. But here's the real tip... now walk over to a point at 90 degrees from the tree (i.e. to the left or right of the tree) as this will allow you to properly assess the weighting of the tree canopy. Remember, if you only look at it from one direction you might not notice that the weight of the tree's canopy means that it actually wants to fall in completely the opposite direction!

With the direction sorted, and the weighting of the tree assessed, you can choose which type of felling cut to use. In the next post, we'll take a look at visually assessing the state of the tree.

CS31: Hints and tips...

Throughout 2012 I'll being going through the whole range of 'stuff' that is included in the CS31 assessment, and we've already made a start by looking at the legal constraints surrounding felling; but before I sign off for 2011, I thought I'd finish off by providing you with some hints and tips to help you through an assessment. There's nothing earth shattering here, and it's what I tell all those participating in my courses, so I hope you'll find it useful.

Find out more after the jump...

When people fail the CS31 assessment, invariably it is not on the questions (although many people do find it hard to remember everything), it's usually because they made a fundamental safety mistake, or messed up on the felling cut.

So here's the first piece of advice... take your time. The assessor will not expect you to be working at commercial forestry speeds, and every assessor that I know would rather you took your time to think through what it is you are about to do, before you do it. Of all the advice given, this is the main one! Don't rush it.

The second piece of advice... think about your danger zones and be aware that when you are dealing with a hung-up tree, the danger zones may change as the tree moves and rolls. All too often, during training, I see operators walk right past the back of the tree and right next to it. One 'trick' is to lay the felling bar down at the rear of the tree and in-line with it... then make sure you walk around the end of the bar. This will force you to leave a short distance between the rear of the tree if you have to walk around it.

The third piece of advice... think about your body position. It's very common, especially during training to mess up your hinge by cutting through it at some point, or to have a wedge-shaped hinge, but there's no need for this to happen if you just pay attention to your body / foot position. Getting your feet in the right place will normally solve most issues to do with the hinge.

Fourth bit of advice? Sink cuts can be difficult to get spot-on, so hold the saw correctly. The top cut of the sink is at 45 degrees, so hold the saw on the corner of the handle - the saw will automatically be held at the correct angle. The bottom cut of the sink needs to be level, and you can achieve this by moving your right hand around the handle so that you operate the throttle with your thumb rather than your finger - this may need a picture, so we'll talk more about holding the saw next year.

And finally, whilst there is loads more hints and tips (which we will go through later) the last piece of advice is to... relax! The assessors need to feel comfortable that you can safely fell a tree and then process it.

Good luck if you're undertaking your CS31 (or CS32) and let me know how it goes through the comments.

CS31: Legal Constraints (Felling Licence)

The requirement for a felling licence is stated as part of the Forestry Act 1967 (Amended), and whilst there are some exceptions to felling under this Act, if you get it wrong then you are liable to prosecution. So it kinda makes sense to have some basic notion about when you need a felling licence.

Find out more after the jump...

You can apply for a felling licence via the Forestry Commission website, or direct from an FC office. You will need to apply for a felling licence if you intent to fell (in one calendar quarter) a tree, or trees, which total more than 5 cubic metres, and then sell more than 2 cubic metres. The calendar quarters run from:

• 01 January - 31 March


• 01 April - 30 June


• 01 July - 30 September


• 01 October - 31 December

There's plenty of infomation available on the 'net about felling licences within the UK, but here's a couple of good links to provide you with more backgrounds information should you need it:

Forestry Commission: Tree Felling, Getting Permission

Forestry Commission: FAQs

In the final part of the CS31 Legal Constraint series, we'll take a look at the Wildlife and Countryside Act, an enormously important, and indeed an enormous Act! I'll try to distill the essence of the Act to a few paragraphs...

CS31: Legal Constraints (Conservation)

In the next part of this mini-series about legal constraints when felling trees, we're going to sneak a peek at conservation areas.

The importance of trees within a conservation area is recognised by the Town and Planning Act, which makes a special provision for trees in a conservation area, and not already protected by a Tree Preservation Order (see previous post).

Find out more after the jump...

A Section 211 Notice lists the work that is proposed for trees within a conservation area, and require a six-week notice period from application to the decision. There are exceptions from a Section 211 notice, and these are:

1. If a tree to be cut down is being felled in accordance with a Forestry Commission Felling Licence (see next post).


2. if the tree work is exempt from a TPO.


3. if the work is being carried out by, or on behalf of, a National Park Authority, District or Borough Council.


4. if the work is to be carried out on a tree with a stem diameter not exceeding 75mm (3") measured at a point 1.5 metres up the main stem.


5. dead, dying or dangerous.

To be honest, you'd need to be pretty sure that tree needed to be worked on, as if you felled it only to find out that the tree was actually alright and didn't constitute a denger... well, let's just say that's probably not a good place to be ;0)

In the next post, we'll take a quick gander at Forestry Commission felling licences.

CS31 - Felling small trees...

Whilst my work here is almost done with CS30 (chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting), the next big thing to tackle is going to be felling. Undertaking the NPTC CS31 Fell & Process Small Trees is not to be under-estimated, and there's really only one way to ensure that you pass... practice.

Find out more after the jump...

But there's so much more than just practicing your felling cuts, there's legal and environmental issues, how to deal with trapped saws, setting up escape routes, brashing and removing buttresses, snedding and delimbing, perhaps a bit of winch work thrown in for good measure too; and the list goes on to include a heap of safety bits and bobs...

In this next series of articles, we'll be taking a look at the whole range of issues concerned with passing your small fell (CS31) assessment. I'll try to include video, podcasts, images and text articles in order to help you through. Remember, you can contact me through the comments page if there's something that you'd really like to discuss.

Cheers. DriveLink.

New video is out now...

Well it took somewhat longer than expected for reasons, but the new DriveLink video is now out for viewing. Find out more after the jump...

The DriveLink videos are proving to be pretty popular, having now been viewed more than 175,000 times; and I'm pleased to say that I can include a new video on to the list..

This five minute video looks at the split level cut, but I wanted to show more than that. If you're taking your NPTC felling assessment, then you know that you have to get a tree hung-up, and then deal with it. I thought that one of the worst things that could happen is to complete a split level cut... then get it really hung-up. This is perhaps more important now that the new assessment schedules are up and running, you'll be expected to use a winch if you need to.

So guess what's included in this video..?

Send me your comments about the video - I might just make a slightly longer version of this one, to cover winching in more detail; or should I just create a specific winching video for those of you about to undertake your CS32?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

- David -

Bath & West Show

The Bath & West Show at Shepton Mallet (UK) is on next week from Wednesday 27th to Saturday 31st May. It really is a great day out for the family and it's huge! There's so much to see - from horse riding to steam engines, clothes to drill bits. And I'll be there...

I'll be at the showground for the duration of the event (all four days), so if you are planning a day out at the show, please pop by and say "Hello!".

If you want to know a bit more about chainsaw maintenance, crosscutting, or felling techniques then stop by the Sparsholt College stand in the Woodlands Area and have a chat.

If you're going - I look forward to seeing you!

David.