drop zone rules for falling trees and spars

murphy4trees

TreeHouser
Joined
Nov 28, 2008
Messages
4,102
Location
Philadelphia PA suburbs
I think the 200% of the height of the tree is ridiculous and certainly not even possible in a lot of scenarios in suburban situations..

I prefer 110-125% in open scenarios... no crew in that radius before the back cut starts, even if the tree is a front leaner etc..

I trust my falling skills more than most, but don't find it necessary to put men in the potential DZ... the .. "hey get ready to run if this tree goes the wrong way" mentality doesn't work for me..

DO you have any DZ rules, written or otherwise?
 
"Get ready to run if this goes wrong" works for me.

Everything stops for the fell, all eyes on the fell the whole time, even after its hit the deck.
 
Jeez, I just can't even think of any hard and fast rules that wouldn't have to be broken in some situations. Seems like everybody in the vicinity ought to just use their heads and agree on the plan beforehand.
 
Even if it sounds corny as hell, yell to the top of your lungs, Timberrrrr! That usually gets everybody's attention.

Out in the woods everybody had their own hoot, UP the Hill! Down the hill! Coming your way! Run for your life! So often working within a tree length of one another. I've seen a lot of close calls, a few minor injuries, generally to backpacks and gas jugs, luckily no deaths.
 
This part of the job is just as dangerous as the rest of the tree. This is the time the homeowners are out milling around and checking every out. I have a 200 ft rule. No one allowed within 200 ft of me, my crew, our equipment, the tree and the jobsite at any point during any of the job. In 25 years of doing this it will inevitably happen on every job if the homeowners or neighbors are home. I know 200 ft isn't realistic since most city lots aren't that big. But if followed that rule should keep everyone off of the lot until the work is finished. I tell the customers this during the estimate and again when we pull up to do the job. And I still have people in my work zone nearly every time. 2 years ago I was on a job and had told the homeowner during the estimate and when we pulled up and I had to get out of the bucket 2 more times and tell him to keep back 200 ft. The tractor was around front with a load of brush. I was in the bucket with the limb tied off ready to cut when he got back to the tree brake. I looked down and the homeowner had what resembled a wrap on the tree brake and was hollering for me to cut. I came down, shut the truck off and sat in a chair in the shade. After about 25 minutes he asked if I was going to finish before dark. I told him that he had been asked nicely 4 times to stay out of out work zone and allow us to do our job safely. Since he wouldn't allow us to work safely I started the clock at $200 hr. And will sit there until he allows us to go back to work. He stormed off in to the house and didn't come back out. It shouldn't take that for people to learn but sadly that's how it is most times.

I bid a job for a cemetery committee and one of the old men told me he would be there with his little tractor to help push brush. I told him that since he wasn't on my payroll and insurance and I didn't have time to train him and that I didn't really need any help at the time and that the price on the estimate would be doubled if I had to take time to train him and work around him on the job. He didn't seem to understand that I couldn't work with him in my work zone.

I tell everyone I have a 200 ft rule for safety but no one follows it. I set up cones. I also tie up flagging when needed. The last time I tied up flagging on a sidewalk, before I could get to the bucket truck there was a fellow on a bicycle lifting it up and going under it. Nothing seems to work other than constant reminding and threatening to charge more due to down time.
 
The only barrier that works is logs and brush though a pain in the ass to do. Stoops move traffic cones , go around work signage , and under tape.
 
Leaving brush on the ground seems to be quite effective. If people only see signs and cones and no branches a lot of them seen to assume then there is nothing really going on...so we always have a bit of tree debris on the ground...inside our signed and coned off work zone!
 
We have no strict rules on this other that pay the f attention. That being said we dropped about 18 ash tree's the other day and two times a log was launched from the tree during the fall. One cart wheeled across the lawn about 100' and the other went flying in the air. I got hit by that one. It was maybe 4" around and 5' long. Not huge but enough to hurt from 60'
 
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