Professions in the forest: Woodworkers

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In France, the forest covers 30% of the national territory, which places it in 4th position in Europe in terms of surface. With these large spaces and a diversity of 137 species different, wooded areas therefore represent a crucial sector of the country. For to manage, maintain, fuel production wood and ensure health of these precious spaces, we will focus on some of the main trades who ensure the preservation of our forests.

Forest technician or agent

Also called Ranger, he is the one who makes sure good management, from followed andforest maintenance. He is guarantor from respect for the laws and regulations on a given territory. It is therefore in the capacity to establish minutes in the cases offense (like the wild clearings for example).

L’forest officer participate in the preparation of management documents of the forest concerning thelayout and the work management. He must therefore enforce the forestry interventions, perform the martelage (marking of trees to be felled) and oversee the work of wood workers when coupe and other tasks.

the technician has a excellent knowledge of the forest ecosystem and silvicultural work. He is aware of regulations and must maintain a sense of contact in order to communicate with the different forest users.

The lumberjack

He is I’skilled worker to perform wood cuts. He mainly handles the chain saw for’slaughter and the tree pruning while ensuring do not damage the forest environment (young seedlings, other trees, etc.). During his cuts, he rocks limbing and the tri for the wood tank top. He knows identify the marking trees, determine the volumes of felled timber and respect the security rules of work.

As such, in addition to the characteristics of essential equipment the forester, the woodcutter must equip himself with cut protection governed by standard EN 381. The latter is divided into several parts which cover the whole body. EN 381-5 for the pants, EN 381-7 for the gloves, EN 381-11 for the upper body (jacket) and EN 381-9 for the shoes Where safety boots. This protective equipment is then categorized by a class from 0 to 3 depends on chain speed (respectively per class: 16 m / s, 20 m / s, 24 m / s and 28 m / s). The lumberjack must also wear a screen Where protective glasses, as well as noise-canceling headphones in addition to safety helmet (the Uvex brand offers an all-in-1 forestry helmet for this).

The forestry and reforestation operator

Its role is to achieve main works from reconstitution and D’interview from forest environments. He cares of plant new trees, clear in the young stands, prune, prune. The maintains the routes and forest roads, the tourist facilities and of game protection. The kill also the very small diameter wood.

Thanks to its activity, it guarantees the good development of young stands and make surehealthy maintenance trees the throughout their life. The operator has a perfect knowledge from needs and culture rules from forest environment.

Logging truck driver and forestry machine operator

The first takes care of transport logs (felled wood) thanks to a logging truck in roadside Or on forest tracks. The charge is operated by a crane equipped on the truck and equipped with a grapple. The driver then ensures the timber transport towards the operators in charge.

the machine operator is positioned on the machines d’slaughter, d’delimbing, from cutting, or skidding. With this type of massive gear, it can work on large trees Where inaccessible for a lumberjack alone.

These two positions require skills in the handling d’mechanical devices. Besides the actions on wood and taking gear control, the workers are responsible formachine maintenance. They must also ensure the compliance with safety rules in the use of such devices.

Equipment essential

The workers from forestry sector will necessarily be doomed to act on the ground. They must therefore to equip to guarantee their security with many essential elements to forestry tasks.

Workers and managers of forest sites must therefore wear a safety helmet to protect from risk of shocks at the time of falling objects. One helmet meeting standard EN 397 will be able to fulfill this function.

From shoes Where shell safety boots standard EN ISO 20345 will be able to guarantee move safely on the difficult terrain. The brand’s S5 class boots Portwest easily meet this need.

At the level of outfit, forest workers must wear clothes to bright colors or high visibility features for stay in sight. Being defined by a outdoor work, the worker has to face different weather situation. Either in protecting from the rain, or by wearing warm clothes against the cold. Many Carhartt brand clothing have earned an excellent reputation for this kind of trades.

In addition, pairs of protective gloves will be able toavoid injuries during the handling from wood chippings and branches.

the lumberjack who wields a a chain saw such the chain saw in addition to the basic equipment, must be equipped with cut protection and anti noise as we already have detailed above.

As we have just seen, the forest work ask for a wide range of skills and requires a whole team of workers and technicians for fully exploit the forests of France and the maintain good health. These trades in direct contact with nature have a capital role to play in the preservation death precious living spaces.