Controlled Tree Felling SWMS
Controlled felling of large trees in residential / commercial / civil settings. Includes pre-felling survey, exclusion zones, rigging for sectional dismantle where direct felling unsafe, chainsaw operation, post-fell chipping.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Controlled tree felling in residential, commercial and civil environments is one of the highest-consequence tasks in the arboriculture sector. The work combines chainsaw operation, work at height via rope and harness or elevated work platform, rigging of heavy timber sections, and the directional felling of trunks that may weigh several tonnes near structures, traffic, overhead services and public thoroughfares. Under WHS Regulation 2025, this scope meets multiple High Risk Construction Work triggers under Schedule 1, including work at height above two metres, work involving the use of powered mobile plant, and work where there is a risk of a person being struck by a falling object. A Safe Work Method Statement is therefore mandatory before work commences, must be developed in consultation with the workers who will perform the task, and must be available for inspection at the workplace. This SWMS documents the pre-felling survey, exclusion zone management, sectional dismantling decision logic, chainsaw controls and post-fell chipping process required to discharge the PCBU's primary duty of care.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Crushing fatality of ground crew, public bystanders or strike on dwellings, vehicles and overhead service lines
Severe lacerations to face, neck, femoral artery or hands resulting in exsanguination or permanent disability
Fatal fall, multi-system trauma, or suspension intolerance death if rescue is delayed beyond fifteen minutes
Blunt force trauma, crush injuries to climber's torso or pelvis, dislodged climber from work positioning
Electrocution, arc flash burns, cardiac arrest and prosecution under network operator no-go zone offences
Traumatic amputation, multi-limb degloving or fatal ingestion of the operator into the feed chute
Cumulative lumbar injury, acute disc prolapse, crush injuries to feet from rolling rounds without exclusion control
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Where a tree can be safely removed by mobile elevated work platform or crane-assisted lift, eliminate climbing and direct felling entirely from the method.
- 2Elimination — Eliminate public exposure by scheduling felling outside school zones, peak pedestrian periods, and shutting affected lanes via approved traffic management plan.
- 3Substitution — Substitute direct felling with sectional rigged dismantle where structures, services or terrain are within one-and-a-half tree-lengths of the stem.
- 4Substitution — Substitute petrol top-handle saws with battery equivalents at height to reduce fatigue, exhaust exposure and one-handed operation incidents.
- 5Engineering — Establish a marked exclusion zone of minimum two tree-lengths using bunting, spotters and physical barriers compliant with AS 4970 work site practice.
- 6Engineering — Rig all sections through a lowering device (Port-A-Wrap or mechanical winch) rated to twice the dynamic load with documented WLL tags.
- 7Administrative — Conduct a documented pre-felling survey assessing lean, decay, defects, wind, escape routes and overhead services, recorded on the site-specific hazard sheet.
- 8Administrative — Maintain continuous radio communication between climber, ground boss and chipper operator, with stop-work authority delegated to every crew member.
- 9PPE — Issue and enforce AS/NZS 1801 climbing helmets with chin strap, AS/NZS 4453.3 chainsaw protective trousers, cut-resistant gloves, hearing and eye protection.
- 10PPE — Climbers wear AS/NZS 1891.1 compliant harness with dual lanyards, and a trauma relief strap to mitigate suspension intolerance pending rescue.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Establishes the technical standard for cut placement, branch collar preservation and site protection that the SWMS pre-felling survey references.
Triggers the duty to provide fall arrest, anchor inspection and rescue planning for any climber working above two metres in the canopy.
Defines tree felling adjacent to construction sites as High Risk Construction Work, mandating a SWMS prepared before work commences and consultation with workers.
Sets competency, maintenance and PPE benchmarks for chainsaw operators referenced in the SWMS training prerequisites and daily inspection checks.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Climbers ascend into the canopy on rope and harness systems, routinely working between five and thirty metres above ground level during dismantle.
Wood chippers, stump grinders, EWPs and crane trucks operate within the same exclusion zone as ground crew throughout the felling and processing cycle.
Rigged sections, free-falling limbs and the felled stem itself create overhead load paths above ground crew, climbers below the cut and adjacent public space.
The PCBU must prepare the SWMS before work begins, consult affected workers during its development, and retain the document for the duration of the work plus two years where a notifiable incident occurs; penalties are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Arborist contractors performing residential tree removals
- →Civil contractors clearing road and rail corridors
- →Council parks and open-space maintenance crews
- →Utility vegetation managers working near powerlines
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
A three-person crew arrives at a suburban removal of a thirty-metre eucalypt leaning toward a single-storey dwelling, with overhead distribution lines crossing the rear boundary. At the pre-start brief, the ground boss opens this SWMS on a tablet and walks the team through each section on the bonnet of the truck. The pre-felling survey flags the lean, a visible cavity at the union, and the conductor clearance distance — the crew immediately rule out direct felling and commit to a sectional rigged dismantle, ticking the corresponding control on the SWMS. The climber identifies anchor points above the cavity, the ground worker sets the Port-A-Wrap on a separate stem, and exclusion bunting is run two tree-lengths back through the neighbour's yard after a doorknock. Each worker signs on after confirming they understand the radio call sequence and the stop-work trigger. Mid-task, wind picks up unexpectedly from the north-west. The climber calls a hold, the crew gathers at the truck, and the SWMS is reopened to the dynamic re-assessment section. They downsize the planned sections, add a tag line to the next limb, and document the change with initials before resuming. After felling, the chipper operator references the in-feed control row before processing brash, confirming gloves are removed and the emergency bar is functional.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP