A Top-down Approach To Canopy Access

Geoffrey G

Geoffrey G. Parker, Alan P. Smith, Kevin P. Hogan, BioScience Vol. 42

Designed for use under the congested conditions of narrow European streets, tower cranes are intended to be "quiet, relatively unobtrusive, and safe"(Shapiro and Shapiro 1988). In the sphere of hammerhead-style cranes, the horizontal jib and counterweights, motors, and the operator's cab are supported atop the tower, which minimizes the crane's footprint on the ground. The components of such a canopy vertical height access systems include: electrical motors which perform the slewing motion, the trolley, and the hook of the load. Such cranes can in haste hoist and shift as much as twenty metric tons within a few moments. A crane operator controls the movement from a vantage over the load. The tower position might be located fixed on a material foundation or else on a moveable pedestal mounted on an extensive gauge railroad track. Variously shaped areas might therefore be covered.

As soon as the crane is employed to achieve canopy access, the scientist and experimental apparatus are lowered into the forest inside a frame cage (gondola) attached to the cranes hook. In place of measurements of environmental quality, a small instrument package (pod) would be deployed. The position of the gondola or pod is controlled by the crane operator; remote control is also a possibility. A positioning system can be provided to allow for accurate determination of the gondola's three-dimensional coordinates, so that a specific location can be revisited and particular canopy elements be re-sampled.

The gondola ought to be small to provide flexible access but large enough to accommodate the researchers and their equipment. An open gondola design allows the investigator to grasp a variety of superior canopy elements. The gondola body is shaped for easy infiltration and extraction from the canopy. A roof provides complete protection from rains. Illumination within the gondola would allow nocturnal operations.

Tower cranes possess a superior safety record within the construction industry (Allen 1985, Shapiro et al. 1980). Strict values are enforced in regards to crane operations (ANSI 1984) and are used in the same way as personnel hoists (CIA 1989). For the reason that the requirements of canopy access are far excluding than those of construction applications, a canopy access system has a far greater margin of safety. Climbing harnesses and lifeline systems secure the investigator inside the gondola. A safety line and descending system provide a safety precaution for leaving a stranded gondola.

Installation of the crane in the sphere of the canopy can be achieved with little damage to the forest. Someplace where roads are open and available, a back up, mobile crane is used to raise the tower crane. Otherwise, installation by helicopter is an option. The footprint of the tower pedestal can be relatively petite: The foundation for the crane is less than 10 meters wide.

by: joe thorton

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