Beach Haven 250 ton crane removal and road closure

Overview:

The job was to remove, extract and process six large pine trees and one eucalyptus tree, all over 30 m in height.  The trees were located at the rear of the section and the crowns spanned multiple properties.

Background:

Several years ago, our client alerted Tree King to issues with these trees, specifically the risk of falling branches during high winds. The client was also concerned about the potential catastrophic failure of the entire trees. To mitigate the risk, the family residing in the house would often relocate during windy conditions. After evaluating various options, we concluded that complete removal of these trees was the only viable solution.

Challenges:

The trees were situated at the back of the property, extending across three neighbouring plots. Limited access posed the greatest challenge; there was no way of accessing the trees with excavators or trucks and the volume of wood meant that manually carrying the material out of the site was not an option.  None of the surrounding properties had suitable access for our trucks or a crane. The only feasible entry point was from an adjacent road using a large crane, which required obtaining permission from the entire street to block access for the job’s duration. Additional considerations included securing the work site and managing both traffic and pedestrians. The project involved the removal of an estimated 100 tonnes (100,000 kg) of foliage and wood.

Solutions:

We contacted Ashton Crane Hire and looked at the possibility of lifting the trees out from the end of an adjacent road, approximately 50m from the trees. It was agreed that we could use the 250 ton crane to remove the trees. This would allow 4000 kg of lift capacity at this distance, allowing us to extract material in large sections.

We engaged Traffic Solutions to devise a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) for the job. This would involve full road and footpath closure for three days, while allowing residents intermittent access to their properties throughout the operation.

We brought in some of the most experienced arborists in the country to climb the trees and carefully dismantle them.

Climber rotation schedules were used to spread the load and manage fatigue over the three hard days.

Foliage was chipped using an 8 ton excavator and a 20” diameter infeed-capacity chipper.  The larger machinery was essential to allow the crane’s drop-zone to be cleared quickly between lifts. The mulch was carted off site to be recycled as garden mulch. In total, we removed over 150m3 of mulch over three days.

The logs were removed by Ignition Firewood using their self-loading logging truck.  In total we removed over 70 tons of wood over three days.

Results:

The job was executed over a four-day period, encompassing crane setup and disassembly, as well as site preparation and restoration. Completed both on time and within budget, the project had zero incidents or injuries. Despite minor inconveniences, the local community had high praise for our team. The seamless operation was also due in part to our subcontractors, Ashton Crane Hire and Traffic Solutions, who played a crucial role in ensuring everything ran smoothly.

Learning:

Wood weights can differ significantly even among trees of the same species growing in close proximity.

Establishing solid partnerships with skilled subcontractors who share our level of professionalism is crucial.

Effective communication with the public, both before and during the project, is essential for smooth execution.

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