Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners

AHCARB325 Mapping and Delivery Guide
Manage trees to create and maintain habitat refuges

Version 1.0
Issue Date: May 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency AHCARB325 - Manage trees to create and maintain habitat refuges
Description
Employability Skills
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to create and maintain habitat refuges in trees involving the installation of nesting boxes and the use of pruning techniques for habitat hollow and cavity creation in trees. It also involves the retention and positioning of materials from tree works for ground level habitat and refuges.The unit applies to individuals who work in arboriculture under broad direction and take responsibility for their own work. They use discretion and judgement in the selection, allocation and use of available resources and for solving problems.The arboriculture industry requires that all arboriculture work to create and maintain habitat refuges is undertaken according to preferred industry practices (as outlined in the Companion Volume).No licensing, legislative or certification requirements are to this unit at the time of publication.
Duration and Setting X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting.

Assessment of the skills in this unit of competency must take place under the following conditions:

physical conditions:

a site with a range of vegetation requiring natural fracture pruning, coronet cutting, and habitat and cavity creation stipulated in the performance evidence

an appropriate site where branch habitat hollows and cavities in branches can be created, nesting boxes can be constructed and installed, and burrows and ground level refuges can be created

resources, equipment and materials:

arborist climbing kit or MEWP for accessing trees

personal protection equipment

tools, equipment and materials for pruning, constructing and installing habitat, burrows and nesting boxes

specifications:

workplace policies, procedures, operations manuals and instructions related to pruning vegetation to manage habitat

biosecurity procedures for managing environmental contamination

regulations and codes of practice that relate to pruning vegetation to manage habitat

preferred industry practices (as outlined in the Companion Volume) for arboriculture work to create and maintain habitat refuges

plans, diagrams and specifications for installing nesting boxes

specification for fauna habitat

relationships:

supervisor.

Assessors of this unit must satisfy the requirements for assessors in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards. In particular, assessors must have:

arboriculture vocational competencies at least to the level being assessed

current arboriculture industry skills directly relevant to the unit of competency being assessed.
Prerequisites/co-requisites
Competency Field
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners Student Learning Resources Handouts
Activities 		Slides
PPT 		Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Assessment 3 Assessment 4
Elements of Competency Performance Criteria              
Element: Prepare site and inspect equipment
  • Interpret and confirm target area work instruction with supervisor
  • Select, check and use personal protective equipment
  • Conduct pre-operational preparations and safety checks, on ropes, harnesses, tools and equipment
  • Undertake a site-specific job safety analysis (JSA), record and implement control measures according to workplace safety procedures
       
Element: Retain and stabilise trees and standing vegetation for wood habitat
  • Identify vegetation with existing viable hollows
  • Plan retention of standing vegetation with viable hollows and defects
  • Identify environmental pruning points to accommodate retention or formation of hollows
  • Determine length of limb to be retained according to weight, size and natural fracture points
  • Identify and retain branch stubs and residual epicormic growth on lower limb sections
  • Implement pruning cuts to tension side of wood to weaken branch at desired point for fracture pruning
  • Apply physical force to create natural fracture and breakage of branch at desired point
  • Undertake coronet cutting using equipment that minimises contaminants on cut surface
  • Use materials and equipment to protect the environment from residues according to workplace and environmental procedures
       
Element: Implement vegetation management techniques to create habitat
  • Identify and select vegetation suitable for habitat creation work
  • Apply natural fracture pruning techniques consistent with natural branch failure
  • Implement coronet cuts on branches or stub according to specifications
  • Fracture prune from ground or aerially and remove excess branches safely at a natural breakage point, leaving stub to specified length according to job requirements
  • Prepare habitat hollows with an angled faceplate to prevent ingress of water
  • Remove internal wood from hollows and install faceplate and entrance holes according to job requirements
  • Install ground refuges using dimensions and materials specific to fauna habitat requirements
  • Install nesting boxes to height and dimensions for target fauna species
  • Remove unsafe habitat features for reinstallation into tree canopy
  • Select, retain and position tree materials, from tree works, suitable for ground habitat, burrows and refuges
       
Element: Clean worksite and store equipment
  • Inspect, clean, maintain and store equipment according to manufacturer instructions and workplace procedures
  • Collect and dispose of waste materials according to industry, workplace and environmental procedures and practices
  • Clean and restore site to condition according to workplace procedures and instructions
       


Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

An individual demonstrating competency must satisfy all of the elements and performance criteria in this unit.

There must be evidence that the individual has managed vegetation to create and maintain habitat refuges in at least one tree not less than six metres tall with a stem diameter of at least 20cm at four metres above the ground, including:

complied with all safety requirements including:

completed job safety analysis

used personal protective equipment

conducted pre-operational preparation and checks on ropes, harnesses, tools and equipment

identified and implemented measures to prevent tree and environmental health issues including:

cleaned and sanitised chainsaws and equipment

cleaned up waste and used materials and equipment to protect the environment from residues

accessed tree for habitat and hollow activities and fracture pruning either:

a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP)

or arborist climbing techniques

selected vegetation and created habitats and hollows in trees including:

retained viable hollows and defects

used fracture pruning applying force using within the tree or hook poles or ropes from the ground

identified suitable points to retain or create new hollows

retained branch stubs and epicormic growth on tree limbs

used pruning techniques for habitat creation on branches with a diameter of no less than 20cm, including:

natural fractures

coronet cuts

pruned and removed excess branches

ensured overhang is retained to prevent water ingress

prepared at least three habitat hollows or cavities in trees at least four metres above the ground with a tree diameter of no less than 20cm, including:

angled faceplate to prevent water ingress

removed internal wood

installed or repaired faceplate and entrance hole no closer than 30cm to branch bark ridge

installed faceplate through side or rear wall of cavity or through faceplate of sufficient thickness

prepared artificial habitat hollow to meet specified dimensions of target fauna for size of hollow, height, and entrance

removed an unsafe hollow branch and reinstalled back into a tree with same orientation and attitude

removed a branch containing a cavity and reinstalled and fixed cavity branch back into tree or another tree with same orientation and attitude

installed the following types of nesting boxes:

two boxes using natural materials

two boxes using artificially constructed structures

retained materials from tree works for ground habitat, refuges or burrows and restored the site.

All arboriculture work to create and maintain habitat refuges is required to be performed according to preferred industry practices (as outlined in the Companion Volume).

An individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge required to perform the tasks outlined in the elements and performance criteria of this unit. This includes knowledge of:

preferred industry practices (as outlined in the Companion Volume) for arboriculture work to create and maintain habitat refuges

importance and impact of living and dead vegetation in the environment, including:

habitat and refuges

public safety and environmental hazard and removal

risk management

common vegetation features providing an ecological habitat, including:

stubs, snags, tears and scars

fungi

dead wood volumes

hollows, cavities and small holes

animal/insect damage and food

defective branch union

bird damage

extent and quality of fungus rot and colonising organisms

tree response to infection and compartmentalisation of decay in trees (CODIT), including biosecurity and infection controls

conservation values of a dead wood habitat and a live wood habitat

removal or reduction of dead wood or living wood to prevent breakage, including:

natural fracture pruning from the ground using hook poles or ropes

natural fracture pruning aerially by applying direct force with hand or foot

coronet cutting

retention of materials suitable for positioning in the landscape for ground burrows, habitat and refuges

leaving and rendering safe root plate of fallen trees for animal burrows, habitat and refuges

different types of ground level refuges, including:

vegetation

soil

artificial

the nature and role of habitat trees, including:

characteristics and essential components of plant and animal life cycles

features associated with ageing

value or potential value

hollows, cavities and roosting branches

removal and replacement of hollows or cavities

nesting box designs and installation, including:

animal and bird species and nesting box design

natural materials repurposed for nesting structures

artificially constructed structures, materials, design and installation

heritage or protected vegetation, environmental overlays and regulated vegetation, including:

historical and cultural aspects of vegetation

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island mortuary and sacred/cultural trees

pruning techniques for habitat development and possible consequence, including:

weakening branches to ensure pruning cut protrudes into the wood of not more than 30% of the diameter at the cut point

wood not weakened to break at the desired fracture point

cutting with a 15 degree opening on the compression side of the wood to allow the vegetation to fracture

use of ropes and pulleys to apply the sufficient force to assist the breakage

removal of excess branches and importance of leaving stub lengths of at least 20 cm

pruning techniques to allow colonisation points for beneficial fungi, invertebrates and small animals

pruning techniques for habitat hollow and cavity creation in vegetation for larger animals

importance of retaining and creating variations in dead wood habitat niches

natural fracture pruning techniques, including:

when to apply to branches <20 cm in diameter

fibre separation, along the grain and splintering

fibre separation in various planes, linear, radial and circumferential

natural fracture points

appropriate use of hand saws and equipment

approved chainsaw use and bar oil to avoid contamination of pruning cuts

relevant statutory and local authority requirements

personal protective equipment, including:

chaps or chainsaw pants

hand tools such as shovels, saws, drills, screwdrivers, hammers

ear protection

full face helmet/visor or safety glasses

harness and full body for MEWP or work position harness for tree climber

gloves

safety helmet

steel-cap boots

potential hazards when managing vegetation, including:

animal responses to interference

vegetation density

incorrect and unsafe pruning methods used by self and others

incorrect and unsafe approaches to staking severed trunks or limbs

power lines and utilities

unsafe tree climbing methods

unsafe use of MEWP

unstable ground for equipment

structural integrity and defects within vegetation that pose a threat to infrastructure, persons in and using the immediate area, and tree health, including:

broken branches

cankers

cracks

dead wood

decay/fungi

poor branch unions

poor vegetation architecture

root problems

torsional fractures

environmental and biodiversity values

when to use natural fracture pruning, coronet cutting and habitat hollow and cavity creation, including alternatives to felling trees to render them safe and retain dead wood habitat.

Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)

Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.
Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Interpret and confirm target area work instruction with supervisor 
Select, check and use personal protective equipment 
Conduct pre-operational preparations and safety checks, on ropes, harnesses, tools and equipment 
Undertake a site-specific job safety analysis (JSA), record and implement control measures according to workplace safety procedures 
Identify vegetation with existing viable hollows 
Plan retention of standing vegetation with viable hollows and defects 
Identify environmental pruning points to accommodate retention or formation of hollows 
Determine length of limb to be retained according to weight, size and natural fracture points 
Identify and retain branch stubs and residual epicormic growth on lower limb sections 
Implement pruning cuts to tension side of wood to weaken branch at desired point for fracture pruning 
Apply physical force to create natural fracture and breakage of branch at desired point 
Undertake coronet cutting using equipment that minimises contaminants on cut surface 
Use materials and equipment to protect the environment from residues according to workplace and environmental procedures 
Identify and select vegetation suitable for habitat creation work 
Apply natural fracture pruning techniques consistent with natural branch failure 
Implement coronet cuts on branches or stub according to specifications 
Fracture prune from ground or aerially and remove excess branches safely at a natural breakage point, leaving stub to specified length according to job requirements 
Prepare habitat hollows with an angled faceplate to prevent ingress of water 
Remove internal wood from hollows and install faceplate and entrance holes according to job requirements 
Install ground refuges using dimensions and materials specific to fauna habitat requirements 
Install nesting boxes to height and dimensions for target fauna species 
Remove unsafe habitat features for reinstallation into tree canopy 
Select, retain and position tree materials, from tree works, suitable for ground habitat, burrows and refuges 
Inspect, clean, maintain and store equipment according to manufacturer instructions and workplace procedures 
Collect and dispose of waste materials according to industry, workplace and environmental procedures and practices 
Clean and restore site to condition according to workplace procedures and instructions 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

AHCARB325 - Manage trees to create and maintain habitat refuges
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Assessment Record Sheet

AHCARB325 - Manage trees to create and maintain habitat refuges

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: