Chainsaw Training Courses

Chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting

2 days

This is an introductory course, which can lead to a Level 2 Award in chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting. You will need these awards if you want a licence to practice or if you wish to take more advanced chainsaw qualifications.

You’ll learn how to maintain a chainsaw and keep it running safely including:

• Personal protective equipment
• Routine maintenance
• Fuel mix and chain lubrication
• Saw chain maintenance
• Guide bar maintenance
• Power unit maintenance
• Identifying which faults require a service engineer
• Starting a chainsaw from hot and cold
• Pre-cutting safety tests
• Cross-cutting timber to required lengths
• Understanding compression and tension in timber
• Safe procedures to remove a trapped guide bar
• Organising site safety
• Handling and stacking timber

Chainsaw maintenance, cross-cutting and felling trees up to 380mm

5 days training, plus 1 day assessment

You should hold a current Emergency First Aid Certificate and wear appropriate PPE, compliant with AFAG 301. (We can advise on this). Your chainsaw must also comply with AFAG 301 and be a model and size appropriate for hand-held chainsaw use.

You’ll cover everything from the basic 2-day course and continue on to felling small trees from the ground. The training prepares you for the Level 2 Awards in chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting, and felling trees up to 380mm.

In addition to the basic 2-day syllabus, you’ll cover:

• Felling trees up to 380mm
• Assessing how to fell leaning trees
• Assessing how to deal with hung-up trees
• Making accurate cuts in the correct positions
• De-limbing felled trees
• Taking down hung-up trees

Felling and processing trees over 380mm

3 days training, plus 1 day assessment

Prerequisites: Chainsaw maintenance, cross-cutting and felling trees up to 380mm

You will need to comply with pre-course handouts on chainsaws, PPE, maintenance equipment, fuel, chain oil and hand tools such as felling lever, timber tongs and turning strap.

This training allows you to proceed to the Level 3 Award in Felling and Processing Trees over 380mm.

The course covers the following items additional to the courses outlined above:

• Felling trees over 380mm
• Producing a site risk assessment including emergency procedures
• Assessment of trees to be felled
• Assess work site for environmental impact

Access a tree using a rope and harness and aerial tree rescue

5 days training, plus 1 day assessment

Prerequisites: LOLER compliant tree climbing equipment, PPE, personal first aid kit attached to harness. You also need to be 16 years of age or older.

Allows you to move on to:

Level 2 Award in accessing a tree using a rope and harness

Level 3 Award in aerial tree rescue operations

The course covers:

• The legislation relating to tree climbing
• Relevant PPE
• Hazard and risk management
• Choosing anchor points
• Tree climbing knots
• Visual tree inspections
• Pre-use inspection of tree climbing equipment
• Safe and efficient ascent and descent
• Duties of competent grounds person
• Safe and comfortable work positions
• Using climbing irons and flip-line
• Climbing equipment storage