Serious wood accident: Young man injured by falling tree!

Serious wood accident: Young man injured by falling tree!

A serious industrial accident occurred this morning when a 22-year-old was injured during a logging operation. The man and a 25-year-old friend were working in a forest around 10:30 a.m. when a spruce tree about 30 meters long fell over. Unexpectedly, the tree fell in the wrong direction, tearing down a branch of a nearby oak tree and hitting the 22-year-old in the body. Fortunately, the Neudorf-Großpesendorf fire department was able to intervene quickly and rescue the seriously injured man from the impassable terrain. After initial care, he was flown to the LKH Graz in the C 12 rescue helicopter, as ORF Steiermark reported.

Wood industry under pressure

In the midst of this tragic accident report, we also find current information about the wood industry, presented by Bernhard Ebner. The young entrepreneur, who entered the industry in 2010, has established himself as a one-man lumber company. With modern machinery, under ideal conditions, he creates around 6,000 cubic meters of wood annually by removing old trees and damaged wood and creating space for young tree crops. Despite his success, Ebner reports on the challenges he faces. Weather conditions, winter closures and the bark beetle infestation present significant challenges that can directly affect his yield. He says: “Standing time means less money for me,” which makes the consequences of the accident in the forest all the more clear, because safety-related factors are also very important in this industry.

The accident and the associated risks shed light on the dangers lurking in timber harvesting. Because many factors can impact a logging company's productivity, it remains to be seen how the industry will recover from these challenges. Follow further reports and information on timber harvesting across Austria at MeinBezirk, which also provides information about market conditions and price developments in the timber industry.