| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Activity or procedure | Operation: Hardwood regrowth forest thinning operation Activity: Deciding on the placement of outrows Description: One of the activities I need to monitor is where the machine operators put the working tracks when we're thinning hardwood regrowth forests. We use the 'outrow and bay' method to set out the tracks. The 'outrow' is the track used by the harvester to work through the forest, and also the extraction track for the forwarder. Because the machines need a clear working area, all trees are removed from the outrow. The bay is the area in between two outrows, which holds the retained trees (the trees being kept). I need to make sure that the outrows are well placed. Generally this means that they go straight up and down the slope, to keep the machines as stable as possible while they're working. It also lets the harvester fall trees across the slope, which is much easier than falling and processing a log uphill or downhill. I also need to check that the outrows are wide enough to allow the harvester and forwarder to carry out their work without damaging any retained trees, but not too wide to waste good 'crop' trees. |
| External compliance requirements | Main documents for this activity: Harvest plan (prepared by Forests NSW) Commercial thinning operations in native regrowth and plantation eucalypt forests – a manual of best practice (2007) Mike Connell Timber Harvesting in Forests NSW Plantations (2005) Forests NSW Other documents: Safety in Forest Harvesting Operations: Code of Practice (2002) WorkCover Forest Workplace Safety Standards (2003) Forests NSW Plantation and Reafforestation Act 1999 Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 |
| Internal compliance requirements | Harvester safe operating procedure Forwarder safe operating procedure Site safety plan Safe work method statement OHS management system |
| Monitoring methods | Personal observation: This is the main way I monitor the outrow placements – by physically looking at the job the machine operators are doing. Verbal reports: I talk to the operators about problems they might be having with ground contours, or obstacles that they need to go around when they're putting in the outrow. Documents: The main document is the harvesting plan. This specifies the boundaries of the coupe, exclusion zones, positioning of roads and log dumps, and most of the other characteristics of the site that will determine the outrow placements. We also have reference documents and checklists of other specifications relevant to the job. |
| Common problems | If the positioning of the outrows is not carefully monitored, various problems could result. The two main problems are as follows. If the ground is too steep: machine traction, stability and manoeuvrability will be affected, which would mean that retained trees could be damaged, either through contact with the machine or with the trees being removed. The risk of injury to the operator or damage to the machine would also increase. If the outrow is too narrow: there may not be enough room for the harvester to carry out debarking and heading, or to allow for machine rotation and tail swing. The forwarder may also have trouble picking up the stacked logs without damaging retained trees with its boom. |