Tennessee Forestry Association: FMIC HELPS TENNESSEE FFA STUDENTS LEARN SAFETY IN THE WOOD

TENNESSEE

FMIC HELPS TENNESSEE FFA STUDENTS LEARN SAFETY IN THE WOOD

Candace Dinwiddie Executive Director, Tennessee Forestry

The Tennessee Forestry Association is so appreciative of FMIC’s Chainsaw Trainer Greg Helton attending the Future Farmers of America Forestry Camp and providing chainsaw and safety instruction to 60 Tennessee students who are looking to make forestry their future. For years, the Tennessee Forestry Association (TFA) and the Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture have sponsored the FFA Forestry Camp, where high school juniors from across the state participate in the week-long program at Falls Creek Falls State Park.

The campers visit logging and sawmill sites, learn how to mark trees for harvesting, the importance of water quality and harvesting with wildlife habitat in mind. For 2023, TFA is so very appreciative of Greg Helton bringing the FMIC message of safety in the woods to these future leaders in the forest industry. Thanks also to Greg Plumley for his help making the safety presentation happen.

So many of the FFA students said that Greg was the best part of the week. Feedback from students indicated the chainsaw and safety in the woods program just needs to be longer next year!

Thanks so much, FMIC staff! The safety message is resonating with the young and not so young in the Volunteer State.

TFA/TN Dept. of Agriculture Dashcam & Safety Equipment Cost Share Program

In 2022, TFA was provided a very generous grant from the TN Dept. of Agriculture to provide costshare funding on dashcams, safety gear, and other safety related items for loggers, sawmills and other wood industry. To date, there have been 230 dash cam packages purchased by loggers and the wood industry in Tennessee, with 75% of the cost reimbursed back to the logger or industry by the State of Tennessee. Also, PPE gear, wilderness tracking equipment, other safety items are reimbursed back to wood products industry at 50% cost share.

TFA provides a quarterly safety e-newsletter to all Tennessee Master Loggers. This is a key component of the safety grant. TFA staff particularly asks loggers’ wives to read the newsletter, we believe thinking safety starts at home as well as in the woods!

The Safety grant also provides for wood industry truck driver safe driving courses, and Federal Motor Safety Carrier Administration compliance courses. TFA members have taken advantage of these classes across the state to operate safely and legally on our roads and highways in the Volunteer State. Future training programs will include CPR/First Aid, wilderness safety, dust management and other sawmill related safety courses.

The safety leadership that FMIC provides in Tennessee is top-notch. The Tennessee Forestry Association is so proud to partner with FMIC. All of us in Tennessee appreciate the extra efforts by FMIC staff to educate our industry on safety practices. Thanks, Forestry Mutual, for making Tennessee a safer place for present and future folks in the wood products industry.

GREG HELTON WITH TFA CALEY PEYTON, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR