Forestry Harvesting Operations SWMS
SWMS template for forestry harvesting operations. Covers Tree-felling plan, drop zones, harvester/forwarder ops.. 8-state AU coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Forestry harvesting operations involve the mechanical and manual felling, processing, extraction and loading of standing timber across plantation and native coupes. The work combines high-energy chainsaw cutting, heavy mobile plant (harvesters, forwarders, skidders, loaders) and the uncontrolled gravitational release of stems weighing several tonnes, often on broken or sloping terrain. Under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 and the equivalent 2025 reforms, tree felling using a chainsaw and operations near energised overhead lines fall squarely within High Risk Construction Work, mandating a Safe Work Method Statement prepared in consultation with workers before the activity commences. The Forestry Industry Safety Code (FISC) and AS 2727 reinforce that no person may fell, snig or process timber without a documented, site-specific SWMS that addresses drop zones, escape routes, plant exclusion zones and hung-up tree protocols. This template provides the controls, sign-on and review structure required to discharge the PCBU duty under sections 19 and 20 of the WHS Act.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatal crush, traumatic brain injury or multiple blunt-force trauma; coronial inquest and Cat 1 PCBU prosecution
Severe laceration, exsanguination from femoral artery transection, permanent disfigurement and lost-time injury
Operator crush within cab, spinal injury, fuel fire and entrapment; plant write-off and notifiable incident
Run-over fatality, limb amputation or crushing injury from boom swing or tracked undercarriage
Whip-back impact causing skull fracture, chest trauma or impalement; sudden uncontrolled stem movement
Hand-arm vibration syndrome, lumbar disc degeneration, Raynaud's phenomenon; long-tail workers' compensation claim
Uncontrolled forest fire, third-party property loss, criminal liability under state Rural Fires legislation
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Substitute manual felling with fully mechanised harvester head operation wherever stem diameter and terrain permit, removing ground-based chainsaw exposure entirely from the coupe.
- 2Elimination — Prohibit any worker on foot inside a two-tree-length radius of an active felling face; enforce via GPS geofencing on plant where available.
- 3Substitution — Replace petrol chainsaws with battery saws for limbing and processing in confined drop zones to reduce kickback energy, noise and ignition risk.
- 4Substitution — Use long-reach grapple processors instead of hand-trimming hung-up trees, eliminating manual intervention with stored-energy stems.
- 5Engineering — Operate only ROPS/FOPS/OPS-certified harvesters and forwarders compliant with AS 2294 and ISO 8082, with interlocked door sensors disabling boom function when cab is open.
- 6Engineering — Establish surveyed drop zones with two 45-degree escape routes per stem, cleared to mineral earth, and a 70-metre minimum exclusion zone marked with high-vis bunting and signage.
- 7Administrative — Conduct a documented pre-start tailgate using this SWMS, confirming wind speed (cease felling above 40 km/h), fire danger rating, and competency tickets (AC10 / FWPCOT2259) for every operator.
- 8Administrative — Implement positive radio communication on a dedicated UHF channel between feller, plant operators and snig truck before each stem; no felling proceeds without acknowledgement.
- 9PPE — Mandatory AS/NZS 4453.3 cut-resistant trousers (Class 1 minimum), AS/NZS 1801 forestry helmet with mesh visor and Class 5 earmuffs, high-vis long sleeves and steel-cap chainsaw boots.
- 10PPE — Issue personal trauma kit with arterial tourniquet and haemostatic dressing to every chainsaw operator, with documented Provide First Aid (HLTAID011) currency verified on the sign-on register.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Prescribes felling cut sequencing, hinge dimensions, escape route angles and hung-up tree procedures — directly incorporated into the SWMS felling controls.
Mandates certified protective structures on harvesters and forwarders; SWMS requires pre-start verification of structural plate and certification currency.
Sets the minimum two-tree-length exclusion radius, drop zone planning duty and competency requirements consulted in this SWMS workflow.
Governs pre-operational inspection, isolation and exclusion zones around mobile plant — operationalised in the SWMS plant interaction controls.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Directional tree felling releases gravitational potential energy of multi-tonne stems with kickback, barber-chair and hung-up failure modes meeting the stored-energy criterion.
Harvesters, forwarders, skidders and loaders operate on uneven terrain in proximity to ground workers, triggering the powered mobile plant HRCW category.
Felling adjacent to overhead rural distribution lines and roadside powerlines creates conductor-strike risk requiring No Go Zone clearances per ENA NENS 04.
Failure to prepare, consult on and retain this SWMS for two years (or duration of incident investigation) exposes the PCBU to Category 1 or 2 prosecution; penalties are substantial and indexed annually under the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Forestry contractors operating in plantation softwood coupes
- →Native forest harvesting crew leaders and chainsaw operators
- →Harvester and forwarder operators on state forest contracts
- →Forest managers and PCBUs supervising third-party felling crews
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
On a Tuesday morning at a 40-hectare radiata pine clearfell coupe, the harvesting supervisor opens this SWMS at the snib trailer pre-start with a four-person crew: one harvester operator, one forwarder operator, one ground-based feller for oversize stems, and a trainee chainsaw assistant. Working through the hazard register, the supervisor flags that the south-east corner sits within 50 metres of an SWER line — triggering the No Go Zone control — and that overnight rain has saturated the access track, elevating rollover risk on the marked 18-degree pitch. The crew agrees to defer felling the powerline-adjacent strip until the network operator confirms isolation, and to restrict the forwarder to the upslope contour only. Each worker signs the SWMS register, confirming AC10 ticket currency and that they have read the hung-up tree control. Mid-shift, the feller encounters a wind-leaning stem with visible barber-chair potential; he stops, radios the harvester operator on UHF 18, and the team amends the SWMS in the field — adding a bore-cut sequence and a second escape route — initialling the amendment before resuming. At smoko the supervisor records the change, photographs the stump, and files the marked-up SWMS in the project compliance folder for the principal contractor's audit trail.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces CoP