GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Students within the Glenville State College (GSC) Department of Land Resources’ timber harvesting course had the opportunity to take part in the West Virginia Division of Forestry’s (WVDOF) Timber Felling and Chainsaw Safety Workshop on the College Farm recently.
The workshop, organized by WVDOF Service Forester, Jesse King, was led by Johnny King and Jack Spencer of the WVDOF. During the workshop, students learned the importance of personal protective equipment, timber harvesting laws and regulations, how to obtain a timber harvesting license in the State of West Virginia, and OSHA regulations.
Following the lecture on laws and regulations, the students began refining the skills that they had already learned in their timber harvesting course, as well as learning new skills along the way. The hands-on training included practicing notches, boring into a tree, spring pole removal, tree topping, and more. Johnny King demonstrated a safe tree felling, followed by a stump analysis to discuss proper felling technique.
“This training teaches students what it takes to be safe in our forestry industry,” said Jesse King. “The students could go on to be a saw hand or work for agencies/companies in which it will be their responsibility to supervise employees and keep them safe. We hope that the students will take the techniques from this training and the skills learned in their timber harvesting course at GSC to go on to be the future of our field.”
“The tree felling and chainsaw workshop was a really great learning experience,” said sophomore Forest Technology major, Katlyne Rollyson. “With this workshop, we don’t just talk about how to use a chainsaw, but we actually learn how to use one and use it safely. Johnny, Jack, and Jesse are fantastic teachers, and they really take the time to make sure that we get comfortable with the chainsaw, as well as gain experience with the skills needed to fell a tree. Looking to the future, I know that knowledge of these skills will allow me to be safe when using a chainsaw and/or felling a tree, and if I am supervising a crew that will be running chainsaws, I will know how to keep them safe, too. Obtaining the certification from participating in the tree felling and chainsaw workshop will not only look great on a resume, but this could give me a jumpstart on a certification that I may need in a future career.”
“The chainsaw operations workshop provided by the WVDOF has been crucial to me for tying together the different aspects of hand felling timber,” said senior Forest Technology major, Myles Hutton. Being instructed on correct safety procedures for chainsaw operations has enabled me to ensure safe and efficient measures are being taken on any logging operation within the state. As it is my desire to become a forester, the knowledge gained from this training has been a critical step in achieving this goal.”
