Pingtung residents freed from fallen trees at their houses
Pingtung residents freed from fallen trees at their houses
2024-10-09
Typhoon Krathon devastated Kaohsiung and Pingtung. Many roads have been obstructed by fallen trees. In one community in Yanpu Township, residents have been freed from trees blocking their houses, thanks to a local expert woodcutter, Lee Ching-hua. After more than three decades in the business, Lee is dexterous handling lumber. We met him at work to hear more of his life story.
After the typhoon, Lee Ching-hua got an urgent call. A tree had fallen and was blocking the entrance to a house: the residents needed to be freed by a chainsaw.
Local resident
The whole road was blocked off. You couldn’t get in or out.
With a few chops, Lee got to work, starting with the smaller branches and working his way towards the trunk. In the end, they were left with a pile of easy-to-transport lumber.
Lee Ching-hua
Woodcutter
You just keep sawing and don’t rest it. When you pause for a moment to catch breath, then you let the saw rest.
Another family nearby asked Lee to help them out, too. They had initially borrowed an electric saw and planned to manage a fallen tree by themselves. But when they realized Lee was available, they decided that maybe it was best to get a pro to do the job.
Local resident
I thought to cut it myself at first but I don’t want to now. I’ll let the professional do it. If I use it myself, it might be a lot of effort.
In one morning, Lee dealt with three big fallen trees. It was more than 30 years ago that Lee, fresh out of his military service, learned lumber jacking from a friend at the Forestry Service. It was just a bit of fun for him at first; then, to his surprise, it became a life’s work.
Li Ching-hua
Woodcutter
I just thought, “I’ll learn something new. It can’t do any harm to learn a new skill, it’s a plus.” He taught me how to hold an electric saw, how to manage it, how to cut the wood. The first thing my teacher told me was, “Everything has a spirit in it. Before we cut something, before we start work, no matter what, we have to pray.”
Lee’s got a spiritual practice before he begins, and when it’s over, he has a process for taking care of the lumber.
Lee Ching-hua
Woodcutter
It takes about an hour. I tidy it up. Each one takes about an hour.
Cleaning up after typhoons are not Lee’s only source of income. But when there has been a big storm, there are always loads of calls coming in. This professional’s top tip is to always prune your trees in a timely manner. That’s the best way to fliprevent accidents.
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特殊職業! 高雄屏東路樹倒一排專業"鋸木工"急救援
2024-10-09
山陀兒颱風造成高屏地區受災嚴重，不少路樹都倒成一片，這時候專業的鋸樹清理工作，就顯得格外重要了。在屏東就有這麼一位，有30多年經驗的專業鋸木工李慶華，對樹木修剪整理專業獨到，來看看這位現實鏈鋸人的真實故事。
颱風剛過，阿華就接到了緊急來電，一棵被吹倒堵在了住家門口的大樹，需要鏈鋸人的救援。
[[屏東鹽埔鄉彭厝村住戶]]
“剛剛就是門全都被封住，禁止出入啊”
只見李慶華三兩下，從細枝著手，再到枝幹，一整棵擋道的大樹，一下子成了一堆方便搬運的木料。
[[專業鋸木工 李慶華]]
“你鏈鋸一直鋸，不讓它休息，停下來加油的時候，就是要讓鏈鋸休息啦”
另一戶人家的請託，也來得很突然，原本住戶自己找人借了電鋸，想自己動手。不過剛好阿華有空檔，想想這活，還是讓專業的來。
[[屏東鹽埔鄉彭厝村住戶]]
“我本來要自己鋸，現在不要了。讓專業的來啦，不然我自己用的話，可能我也很吃力啦”
一個上午，阿華跑了三處，解決了三棵倒下的大樹。那一年阿華剛退伍，原本抱著遊戲心態，跟一位在林務局工作的朋友學鋸木，沒想到竟成專業，鏈鋸人一當就是30多年。
[[專業鋸木工 李慶華]]
“我就想說多少學一些，反正學會了有好無壞。(師傅)教我怎麼拿電鋸，怎麼整理電鋸，要怎麼鋸樹木。我師父第一句話就交代說，萬物皆有靈，要動電鋸之前，不論如何，我們要進行工作之前，一定要先拜拜”
工作前有虔誠，工作後也有成套的保養步驟要進行。
[[專業鋸木工 李慶華]]
“差不多要一個鐘頭吧，我整理起來，每一把大約都要一個小時”
其實阿華不是專靠颱風天發財，只是每當颱風過後，追問他行蹤的電話特別多。這位鏈鋸人最專業的建議就是，樹木總是按時修整，好過突然的意外發生。
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