Widowmaker (forestry) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
In
In forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
, a widowmaker or fool killer is a detached or broken limb or tree top. The name indicates that such objects can kill forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
workers by falling on them, thus "making widows" of their wives. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration'' (OSHA ) is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. Congress established the agen ...
describes widowmakers as "broken off limbs that are hanging freely in the tree to be felled or in the trees close by."
Causes
Widowmakers are often caused by fungal growth over a sustained period. Other causes include damage from other falling trees or stress on a branch.Hazards
Widowmakers may pose a risk to equipment or personnel working under or around the tree. They can become dislodged by wind or during tree felling, and are responsible for 11% of all fatalchainsaw
A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable gasoline-, electric-, or battery-powered saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. It is used in activities such as tree felling, limbing, bucking, pru ...
accidents. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, ) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the C ...
(NIOSH) offers ways to eliminate risks by avoiding working beneath widowmakers, knocking them down, or pulling them down with a machine.
See also
* Snag (ecology), SnagReferences
{{forestry-stub Logging