Posted: April 17, 2017

Pennsylvania SFI Implementation Committee Update

Many folks outside the state's logging workforce have found PA SFI Professional Timber Harvester Training Program courses very informative and useful. Last year alone, nearly 200 landowners, foresters, office personnel, and others attended one or more courses offered through our training program.

Firewood cutters and others who operate a chainsaw might be interested in attending our Game of Logging trainings that teach basic chainsaw maintenance, saw sharpening, and the safest, most productive ways to fell, buck, and limb trees. There are four sequential levels of Game of Logging. Each level is a day-long, hands-on training taught by a skilled instructor with experience educating novice chainsaw operators to veteran loggers. Each level builds off the skills learned in the previous. After completing Levels 1 and 2 individuals are eligible to complete the Storm Damage Cleanup class that teaches how to recognize and safely deal with the tensions and pressures found in wind thrown trees. With the prevalence of ash mortality across the state, we also offer a Hazard Tree Workshop that emphasizes skills needed to safely fell standing dead trees.

Our training program also offers courses on forest management that are useful for woodlot owners. How do you know if a proposed timber harvest is "sustainable?" What are the consequences of high-grading and diameter limit cuts? Our day-long Sustainable Forestry course answers these questions by teaching participants about how Pennsylvania's forests grow and how different silvicultural treatments can, and should, improve the forest in measurable ways. Along the same lines, our half-day Forest Health Update workshop outlines current issues and controls related to forest disease, pests, invasive plants, and white tailed deer impacts. Lastly, PA Species of Greatest Conservation Need is a half-day workshop that addresses Pennsylvania wildlife species at risk for a variety of reasons. The course highlights causes for population declines and restoration efforts for several species.

Anyone operating heavy equipment such as trucks or tractors can learn a great deal from our hands-on Hydraulic Systems Safety & Maintenance training. The class introduces participants to the theory of hydraulic operation, nomenclature and function of associated components, safety practices, general maintenance, and diagnostic troubleshooting of hydraulic systems. It is taught by staff at Penn College of Technology at their heavy equipment lab in Montgomery PA.
All of our training classes are open to anyone with an interest in participating. Look for the spring and fall courses scheduled at locations across Pennsylvania on our website and register for classes.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee, please visit the website or call 888-734-9366.

James C. Finley Center for Private Forests

Address

416 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802

James C. Finley Center for Private Forests

Address

416 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802