1、Identifying and managing dangerous trees when prescribed burningForestry Australia Fire Summit 2024 Presenter:Paul de MarImagine the impact on a light unitWhat is the tree-caused fatality risk?Not a Black Swan event future fatalities and injuries are foreseeableIts a rare occurrence but is often con
2、sidered a catastrophic consequence in risk assessmentIts a numbers gamehappens more at unplanned fires than at planned firesWhen tree or branch-fall fatalities arise,inevitable inquires will examine the adequacy of risk assessment and controls,including training and qualifications(forensic scrutiny
3、for PB incidents can be expected)The imperative is to put robust risk control systems in place to prevent fatalities,not in response to themWhat does it seek to achieve?A direct hit or a near miss?What is the tree-caused fatality risk?What is the tree-caused injury risk?Work-type for tree-caused inj
4、ury riskDefective tree falling is inherently hazardousA recent analysis of fatalities and also non-fatal injuries involving hospitalisation of arborists in the US provides some insight:Over a period of 17 years(2001-2017)in the arboriculture industry there were 865 fatal and 441 nonfatal incidents T
5、he leading cause of fatalities(173)was climbers falling from trees Second(145 fatalities)were fallers or their groundworkers being struck by a falling tree,and a further 104 by falling branchesThese incidents occur despite arborist industry safety training and national standards for fallers to retre
6、at along retreat lines as trees begin to fall,and procedural controls for drop zone clearance Hazardous tree removal has its own risksBushfire response vs Prescribed burningDifferent risk profiles/assessment taskDifferent hazard assessment task/profileBushfire response typically viewing fire-impacte