Wood Chip Production And Storage Techniques Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply wood chip production techniques including chipping, screening, and quality control.
• Implement safe storage methods to prevent degradation, fire hazards, and environmental impact.
• Analyze factors affecting wood chip quality such as moisture content, particle size, and contamination.
• Demonstrate knowledge of relevant health, safety, and environmental regulations.
• Evaluate storage facility design and management for optimal wood chip preservation.
• Design a basic wood chip production and storage plan incorporating industry best practices.

Target Audience

This course is intended for forestry workers, sawmill operators, and individuals involved in wood chip production and storage within the timber industry.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are recommended.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Hands-on practicals are essential for developing competence in operating chippers, handling equipment, and managing storage. Learners will engage in supervised tasks that simulate real-world production and storage scenarios, reinforcing theoretical knowledge and building procedural skills.

Practical Activities

• Chipper Operation and Setup — Learners operate a disc chipper: perform pre-start checks, adjust knife settings and feed rate, chip logs, and monitor chip size distribution. (12h)
• Maintenance and Knife Replacement — Learners carry out routine maintenance: lubricate bearings, replace chipper knives, and inspect anvil and screen condition. (8h)
• Conveying System Operation and Troubleshooting — Learners operate belt and screw conveyors, adjust flow rates, and troubleshoot common issues such as blockages or belt misalignment. (8h)
• Sampling and Quality Testing — Learners collect chip samples from production and storage, perform screen analysis, measure bark content, and record results. (6h)
• Storage Management and Moisture Monitoring — Learners assess moisture content in stored piles using probes, practice stock rotation, and implement dust control measures. (6h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.