![[SKYSQUARE Road-010-] Forestry Training Day 1](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/fc32ca_8c15596c128d4458a9e2618806dedbdb~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_551,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/fc32ca_8c15596c128d4458a9e2618806dedbdb~mv2.jpg)
Hello
This is Nakajima and Takeda from AZSTOKE Co., Ltd.
In this installment of SKYSQUARE Road-010, we will summarize what we learned on the first day of the forestry training and share it with you in the form of a report.
Click here for a list of past SKYSQUARE Road articles
■ Table of Contents
■ Background
First of all, the reason I took the forestry training course was not to work in forestry.
This is important, so let me make it clear first.
This is purely for the purpose of capturing the strongest sound possible, not for the purpose of changing jobs to forestry.
However, once you have purchased forest land, you will need to manage the trees.
We have confirmed that there are many hanging trees and it is necessary to take them down quickly.
And a building is essential for recording sound in this area in the future.
Developing the land also requires cutting trees, and if possible, I want to be able to do the cutting myself, including managing it in the future!!! So, first I decided to attend a forestry course and learn how to do it from a professional, for safety reasons.
We will not accept any comments that say that this is just forestry.
That's when I found this flyer at a roadside station!
There was even a course that explained forestry and gave practical training.
Since the course is held at a roadside station nearby, I thought it would be great to be able to learn nearby, so I decided to participate.
森林体験と林業講習の申込みを募集しています！
株式会社TreeLumber
■ Day 1 Forestry experience [classroom learning]: Felling and the difference between coniferous and broadleaf trees
First, we started with classroom lessons.
The person in charge this time was Mr. Shimizu from TreeLumber Co., Ltd.
They taught me very kindly and carefully.
I even had a strong desire to become a teacher.
Now, as for the content of the lectures, there are coniferous and broadleaf trees when it comes to felling trees, and the cutting method seems to differ depending on the type of tree.
Most conifers grow upright, are soft and easy to work with, while hardwoods are hard and difficult to work with.
Therefore, when felling trees, the typical backcut method is prone to causing hardwood trees to split, and to avoid this, it seems that splitting can be prevented by changing from a backcut to a backcut.
He gave us an explanation based on examples of disasters.
It was really great to be able to ask various questions directly.
We were also given detailed instructions on what to be careful of when falling trees, including actual accidents that have occurred.
■ Day 1 Forestry experience [practice]: Felling
On the first day, we practiced cutting down coniferous trees!
While checking for safety, we cut down a coniferous tree about 20cm in diameter!
It was difficult to determine the tree's center of gravity, which is essential for deciding which direction to fall, so we made repeated checks as we proceeded.
We cut down trees while learning how to use ropes and towing equipment.
It was a truly valuable experience to actually hear the creaking of wood.
Felling Step 1: Select a tree
When selecting a tree to fall, the most important thing is the course of the fall.
When felling a tree you want to cut down, it may get caught on other trees, making it a dangerous tree called a "hanging tree." Therefore, it is important to make sure that there are no trees hanging in the direction of the tree you want to cut down, and sometimes you should avoid this by first cutting down trees that may be caught before cutting down the tree you want to cut down.
The trees must be cut down.
I realized that I needed to do more careful calculations and think constantly than I had expected.
Felling procedure 2: Attach the rope as high as possible
Once the tree has been selected, the rope is attached to it.
Of course, trees have branches.
If there are branches, it will be difficult to lift the tree up even if you use a rope.
Therefore, when hanging the rope, it is necessary to place it as high as possible.
In this case, tie the rope together and throw it so that it is attached at a high position.
This time we learned how to tie things together with this rope, but it seems there is also another way to tie things together, such as attaching a weight to a fishing line and shooting it with a slingshot, then connecting the rope to the fishing line and using that to tie things together.
Felling procedure 3: Use the bowline knot for the rope work
Once you have managed to hang the rope on the tree, you can use a bowline knot to tie the rope.
This seems to be the best way, and I've been shown how to do it many times.
If you're not used to it, you'll forget it right away...
Felling Step 4: Select the tree at the turning point
The important thing here is to select the turning point tree taking into consideration the direction in which you want to cut the tree.
By folding it back and pulling it, you can ensure that no one is in the direction of the tree falling.
The choice of tree is also an important point.
If the tree's turning point is at a large angle, problems can arise such as insufficient weight-bearing strength or the direction of the tree changing, so selecting the right tree is also important.
Felling step 5: Setting up the belt sling
Once the turnaround tree is selected, a belt sling is installed there.
Belt slings are the recommended lifting device as they have a large load area.
This is an important type of lifting equipment that is also taught in the rigging license.
This was my first time learning that it could also be used for felling trees.
Felling step 6: Set up a pulley and turn the rope
Attach a pulley to the belt sling and fold the rope back.
The angle of the pull is towards the pulley, so it is pulled towards the pulley.
This allows you to avoid the situation of falling directly onto someone and allows you to keep your distance.
These will ensure your safety.
Felling procedure 7: Selecting trees for chill holes and chill holes
You need to select the tree you will be heading straight for from the tree you turned back to, and take into consideration the length of the rope or wire.
It is often difficult to fell large trees using human strength alone.
There are also many trees that are bent in directions that we don't want to fall (directions where power lines are located or where they would get caught in the tree), so we need to use the power of machinery to forcibly change their direction and shift their center of gravity in order to fall them.
When it comes to machinery, Japan has a lot of sloping land, and there are many areas where heavy machinery cannot be brought in.
That's why chill holes are so useful for taking them down by hand.
It is a powerful towing tool that can be carried by hand.
No other power such as electricity is required, so this device alone can achieve a towing force of up to 500 kg by adding human power.
The Chill Hole itself is available in various sizes, but the people working on the site say that this 500KG is the best. In the end, you have to carry it with you when climbing the mountain, so unless there is no other option, it seems that you carry this 500KG when cutting trees.
We don't think we'll be climbing mountains to cut down trees for our SKYSQUARE, so we thought we might buy one that's a little bigger.
Felling step 8: Connect the chill hole to the belt sling
A belt sling is also installed when installing chill holes.
The key point here is to place the belt sling at knee height.
When winding up the chill hole, the appropriate position for the main body is around the knee, so we will pass the belt sling through it so that it can be installed at a low position.
Securely connect the belt sling to the chill hole.
Connect the belt sling by making sure it fits securely inside the clip.
If the chill hole and belt sling are too far from the base of the tree, the rebound recoil may be too great, so by adjusting the eye position of the belt sling, you can adjust the length even if the belt sling is the same length.
Felling Step 9: Attach the KITO clip to the rope
Once the chill hole is installed, the next step is to connect something called a KITO clip to the rope.
This will allow you to connect the rope and wire.
KITO clips are designed to move in only one direction, so if you keep the pulling side in a stationary position, they will pull firmly, and when you want to adjust them you can move them in the opposite direction, making them a very convenient clip.
Felling step 10: Connect the wire rope to the KITO clip
Now that I was able to connect the KITO clip to the rope,
Connect the wire rope to the KITO clip.
The wire rope is necessary to connect to the chill hole mentioned earlier, and although the rope cannot be connected directly to the wire rope, it can be connected using a KITO clip.
I strongly felt that this was a method that had been devised uniquely by people on the ground.
Felling procedure 11: Connecting the wire rope to the chill hole
Connect the wire rope to the chill hole.
The wire rope itself is included with the Chill Hole, so if you purchase the Chill Hole you will also get a dedicated wire rope.
Insert the tip of the wire into the hole.
Once the wire rope is inserted, the length is adjusted by manually moving the pulley.
The idea is to hold it with a slight tension.
What you can see here is that the main body of the Chill Hole is right around the knee.
This height makes it easier to apply force when manually moving the chill hole.
Felling procedure 12: Cutting with a chainsaw
Once the connections are complete, cut them off with a chainsaw.
Conifers are cut using this typical follow-up cut.
First, insert the receiving hole for the opening, aiming for 45 degrees.
There is a point to note here.
If you try to cut at a 45-degree angle from the beginning, you may end up cutting more than you expected, which could lead to problems with the direction and how it falls. Therefore, when cutting, first cut at a 20-degree angle, and then adjust while checking that the angle and direction are correct, so that you end up with a 45-degree angle undercut.
Felling procedure 13: Cutting with a chainsaw (cutting)
Once you have finished cutting the undercut, you then cut out the follow-up cut.
Cut with the image of making a parallel cut slightly above half of the recess.
At this point, leave about 10% of the log in the middle.
Be careful not to cut too much.
In some cases, you may need to cut additional pieces.
To be cautious, leave a little extra space here and tow the vehicle to see what happens.
Felling procedure 14: Start winding up the chill hole little by little.
There is one point to pay special attention to here.
When starting to wind up, make sure no one gets inside the triangle that connects the chill hole to the wires, ropes, and felled trees.
Since the pulling force is considerable, there is a possibility that the rope and wire may break under the load.
Depending on where it flies, it will first move in the direction in which the force was applied.
In this case, if there is someone inside, there is a risk that the bait will fly towards that person, so be sure to check that the bait is outside before reeling it in.
I started winding it up little by little. You can see that the place where I wind up the chill hole and the direction of the pulling force are perfectly safe. This is safe!!!
Felling procedure 15: Fallen trees
The sound changes when a tree falls.
As soon as you realize you are going to fall, get away from the situation.
Since it is not known how much force will be applied when the tree falls, there is a possibility that the force will be transferred to the chill hole connected to the tree, causing the chill hole to burst.
To avoid this, move away immediately if you realize you are about to fall.
This resulted in successful felling of the coniferous trees.
The program was packed with experiences that are hard to get to experience, and I was able to actually try them out and understand the importance of towing equipment such as ropes and chill holes.
It was a good experience.
The sound of the felled trees was so good that I thought I would like to record it as well.
I hope to be able to test this again at SKYSQUARE.
We will utilize these experiences to contribute to the development of SKYSQUARE.
Report from the second day: Details on how to cut down and transport the hardwood trees will be released as soon as they are finalized.
stay tuned!!
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