WOOD SCIENCE ON THE JOB None of the three operators treated load chart values as abstract numbers. In practice, the chart is a living docu- ment, updated continuously by the spe- cific wood being cut. Savadyga noted that species drives de- cision-making as much as weight. “Oak has to be cut in smaller pieces due to weight, but also stronger fibers which will hold on and become impos- sible to break if the cut goes not as planned,” he explained. Soft-tissue species release more freely. Storm-damaged wood is in a category of its own — storing energy in compres- sion fractures and twisted grain invisi- ble from the outside. Hidden decay presents its own hazard. On one Aquidneck Island job, a cut went unusually fast — the saw moving through the wood without the expect-
Temporary matting distributes weight and minimizes turf damage.
the loader he was operating. “My brain transferred from what I was doing to focusing on what I was admiring. And I actually backed myself into the tray of the chipper.” The company’s standing rule: if you are moving the loader, you look in the di-
rection you are driving. Full stop.
“If you want to take time to admire your beautiful crane and how great your op- erator is doing — stop and look. Then move forward. But never combine the two.”
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