NPTC Felling Small Trees up to 380mm: Four-day course

Course overview

This course is designed to prepare a chainsaw operator who already holds a cross-cutting and maintenance qualification for the NPTC City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate of Competence in Felling Small Trees up to 380mm.

Merrist Wood has developed an excellent reputation for arboriculture expertise and coupled with our award-winning Learning Philosophy, we are able to offer a practical education, tailored to your needs.

Courses are taught by experienced, highly-skilled tutors who attend annual, industry training programmes. The arboriculture workshops are fully resourced and the pro-active approach of the department ensures that all the chainsaws and related tools and equipment are up-to-date.

Our worksites, located close to the campus, have been specifically chosen for the course, and are a mixture of plantation and open grown trees providing a realistic practical environment in preparation for the assessment.

 

There will be four days of training, plus one day for assessment.

These days may not follow consecutively.

The course includes:

  • risk assessments and emergency procedures on a work site
  • selecting and preparing equipment required for safe and effective felling
  • felling small trees safely and accurately using appropriate methods
  • felling trees weighted in the direction of fall using safe techniques
  • stacking timber using appropriate manual handling techniques
  • taking down hung-up trees safely using appropriate hand tools
  • process felled trees, cutting timber to a specific length

A reasonable level of fitness is required.

This course is intended for proficient chainsaw users who already hold the NPTC Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross Cutting qualification.

Following your training, an independent assessor will assess you against criteria set by City & Guilds. If you require any additional support, please ensure this is declared on your enrolment application, or you can call the Contact Centre once you have enrolled.

Should you fail the assessment, you will need to book a new assessment date. Fees for an additional assessment will be £300. Please contact NPTC@activatelearning.ac.uk

Your certificate and NPTC card will be issued directly by City & Guilds, not by Merrist Wood College. A link to your certificate will be emailed to the email address supplied at enrolment. To obtain an NPTC card you are required to supply a head and shoulders photograph to the Contact Centre once you have enrolled. Without a photo, you will not receive a card.

Prior to attending the course you are required to provide a passport photo for your NPTC E-Card.
 
Please complete the registration form, ensuring you provide your NPTC Candidate number. You will also need to prove evidence of any NPTC prior achievements.
Please email all these to NPTC@activatelearning.ac.uk
 
You will need to bring:
Personal Protective Equipment.
*Chainsaw protective helmet (complying with EN 397)
*Chainsaw protective trousers (type C) (complying with EN 381-5) 
*Chainsaw protective boots (complying with BS EN ISO 20345:2004 and bearing a shield depicting a chainsaw
Ear defenders (complying with EN 352)
Face Visor (complying with EN 1731/Safety Glasses EN 166)
Personal first-aid kit, including a large-wound dressing and suitable work gloves appropriate for chainsaw operation.
*The items marked with an asterisk should bear the chainsaw logo and show the chain speed to which they have been tested.
 
Catering facilities may or may not be open on site, therefore you are more than welcome to bring a packed lunch.
 
Please see the link below for information to read before you start the course:
City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate of Competence in Felling Small Trees up to 380mm (0039-21) (nptc.org.uk)
Please check the website for all additional information.
 
Important Arrival Information:
  • Please park in the student car park at The Harris Centre.
  • Head to the Harris Centre reception to sign in and collect your lanyard. (Reception opens at 8:30am.)
  • Once registered, drive to the Equine car park and meet your tutor at the Arboriculture Short Course Centre.
  • Classes begin at 9:00am, so please allow enough time to sign in and arrive on time.
  • See the map for all location details.

 

NPTC Card/ID

Your certificate and NPTC card will be issued directly from City & Guilds, not from Merrist Wood College. A link to your certificate will be emailed to the email address supplied at enrolment. To enable you to have an NPTC card, you are required to supply a head-and-shoulders photograph to the Contact Centre once you have enrolled. Your passport photo needs to be provided at the time of enrolment. You are also required to bring in a form of photo ID to obtain your student lanyard and NPTC card.

Please ensure you bring all relevant certificates on your first day.

You could apply to our other arboriculture or related courses:
  • Aerial Chainsaw use from Rope and Harness
  • Manually-Fed Wood Chipper Operations
  • Chainsaw Refresher Day
  • Arboriculture (Tree Management) Level 4 Award, Certificate and Diploma

The cost includes all instruction and use of equipment, registration and assessment fees.

Catering facilities may or may not be open on site, therefore you are more than welcome to bring a packed lunch.

Please note: PPE can no longer be hired from the College.

A map of the college will be supplied in your joining instructions. Please ensure you arrive early to locate your meeting place and ensure a prompt start time.

  • Please park at The Harris Centre in student car parking
  • Then report to the Harris Centre Reception where you can sign in and collect your lanyard
  • Reception opens at 8.30am
  • Once this has been completed, you can drive down to Equine car parking and meet your tutor at the Arboriculture Short Course Centre
  • Your class starts at 9am, so please leave enough time to register so that you can start your class on time
Please see the link below for information to read before you start the course.
Course Starts in 252 Days

Mon 22 February 2027

Enrol now

Alternatively enrol by phone quoting OC02CS0A026Q

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If you're interested in one of courses, meet our tutors first! You'll see they have similar passions and interests and, most importantly, the right qualifications to help you make the most of your time and money.

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