Description

This course will enable students to understand the importance of pre-commercial thinning in a sugar maple stand and minimize tree injuries. Furthermore, students will learn to identify hardwood and conifer species of New Brunswick, as well as low-quality stems affected by disease. The course will also familiarize students with techniques for using and maintaining a brush saw and teach them how to work safely in the forest while adhering to the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the forest in New Brunswick.

Objectifs

• Identify the types of hardwood and conifer species in New Brunswick's silvicultural operations region
  • Explain the composition, vein types, arrangement, and shape of the leaves of various hardwood species in New Brunswick
  • Explain the different shapes and types of conifer needles or scales in New Brunswick
  • Explain the composition, vein types, arrangement, and shape of the leaves of non-commercial species in New Brunswick
  • Describe the necessary characteristics of twigs for each species in the identification region
  • Distinguish the bark of young hardwoods, young conifers, and non-commercial species in New Brunswick
• Examine the effect of decay or injury caused by a brush saw on trees
  • Recognize the different layers of the tree and their defense systems
  • Explain the development of decay
  • Recognize different types of decay and their points of entry
  • Recognize various common defects and decays that indicate mechanical weakness
  • Explain the severity of a stump injury
  • Explain the importance of preventing multiple crown effects
  • Recognize the long-term effect of minor injuries and the risk of infection
• Understand the concept of pre-commercial thinning in a sugar maple stand
  • Explain the function and effects of pre-commercial thinning in a sugar maple stand
  • Explain the minimum height of conifers and hardwoods qualifying for pre-commercial thinning
  • Explain the maximum size of trees qualifying for pre-commercial thinning
  • Explain the minimum spacing required between trees
  • Describe the different types of pre-commercial thinning
• Understand the importance of selecting the best future tree for maple syrup production
  • Explain the impact of selecting future trees
  • Explain the quality factors
• Understand the maintenance of brush saw equipment and tools
  • Recognize the general condition of the brush saw and its components, mechanisms, and systems
  • Describe the fuel-oil mix ratio
  • Describe the condition of the blade and its components, including assembly, protection, and safety elements
  • Examine the attack points of the blade
  • Describe blade maintenance and its components
  • Explain the equipment and tool maintenance operations
  • Describe the maintenance of personal protective equipment, the harness, and the attachment hook
• Understand directional felling techniques
  • Explain the importance of directional felling
  • Describe important elements of directional felling
  • Explain the method for achieving the desired felling direction
• Understand basic safety and maintenance related to chainsaws
  • Explain basic chainsaw maintenance and troubleshooting
  • Explain the safety requirements and secure starting techniques for chainsaws
  • Explain the different characteristics of chains and chainsaw sharpening
• Understand bucking and limbing techniques
  • Explain limbing techniques, including the Lever Method and Sweep Method
  • Explain proper bucking techniques, including safe removal of suspended logs or stressed branches (Spring Pole Removal)
• Recognize the risks associated with forestry work and the impact on health and safety
  • Describe the causes of accidents and incidents related to forestry work
  • Describe the causes of occupational diseases in forestry
  • Describe the consequences of accidents and occupational diseases on forestry workers' health and safety
• Understand preventive measures related to forest work risks
  • List the equipment designed for health and safety in pre-commercial thinning
  • Describe how to use protective equipment for work tasks
  • Describe how to handle equipment with loads
  • Explain the importance of communication with co-workers
  • Describe how to adopt a preventive attitude toward dangerous situations
  • Describe how to recognize injuries
  • Describe how to provide first aid
• Discover the Occupational Health and Safety Act in New Brunswick’s Forest sector
  • Explain the importance of safety prevention in the workplace
  • Explain the importance of reporting accidents or potential hazards
  • Describe employer and employee responsibilities

Aperçu du contenu

• Leaf composition: simple, compound
• Vein types in leaves found in the region: alternate, pinnate, palmate
• Leaf arrangement: alternate, opposite
• Leaf shapes found in the region: entire, singly serrated, doubly serrated, undulate, lobed, lanceolate, etc.
• Shape, color, texture, and aroma of buds and twigs of hardwoods in the region
• Color and shape of hardwood bark in the region
• Shape, type, texture of conifer needles in the region
• Color and texture of conifer bark in the region
• Hardwood species: red maple, sugar maple, white birch, yellow birch, black ash, balsam poplar, trembling aspen, American beech, red oak, Virginia hop-hornbeam, American elm
• Conifer species: balsam fir, western red cedar, eastern hemlock, black spruce, red spruce, white spruce, larch, white pine, red pine, jack pine
• Types of decay: fruiting bodies, cavities, deformations, cracks, holes in bark and wood, cankers, forks, bayonet trees, mechanical injuries, snags, maple borer damage, shallow rooting, frost cracks
• Common defects: fruiting bodies, white trunk rot, friable white rot, spongy white rot, cubical brown rot, pitted brown rot, alveolar red foot rot, polypore, cavities, cracks, holes in the tree
• Difference between a natural tree and thinned tree
• Quality stand and quality species
• Minimum spacing between trees: 1 meter
• Maximum size of a tree: 15 cm at the stump
• Minimum or maximum height for conifers: 2 to 7 meters
• Minimum or maximum height for hardwoods: 4 to 9 meters
• Priority species list in a sugar maple stand
• Important components of a brush saw: fuel tank cap, stop switch, starter flap lever, starter handle, spark arrester muffler, adjustable handlebar mount, suspension hook
• Blade: general condition, conformity, sharpening angle and sequence
• Four sectors of a blade: soft, dangerous, and low-stress sectors
• Blade maintenance: blade protector, safety guard, reduction foot cover, fixing nut, pressure washers, carrying disk
• Compliance of assembly, protection, and safety elements
• Maintenance operations: brush saw functionality, potential malfunctions, brush saw performance after adjustment, final checks
• Personal protective equipment characteristics and usage conditions: maintaining accessories
• Attack methods: tree felling direction, blade sectors, lateral blade tilt, handle angles, pushing direction
• Appropriate personal protective equipment, correct harness adjustment, proper attachment of the brush saw to the harness
• Fuel-oil mix ratio
• Tree felling techniques, appropriate cutting techniques, clearing selected stems, quality of brush cutting according to silvicultural prescription
• Safety requirements and techniques for safely starting a chainsaw: chainsaw safety features, personal protective equipment, pre-start checks, safe startup
• Chainsaw sharpening: types of chains, sharpening tools, depth gauges, tips and sharpening sequence
• Basic work techniques: lever and sweeping methods used in limbing, proper bucking techniques (cross-cutting), removal of suspended logs or stressed branches
• Safety prevention: communication among workers, safety trails
• Reporting accidents or risks: snag trees
• Pre-commercial thinning equipment: CSA helmet, protective glasses, ear protectors, gloves, CSA safety boots, compressive bandages
• Responsibilities: employer, employee