Women Wielding Chainsaws

by Chris Hubbard, Education Director

“p.s. - Would you consider a woman’s only chainsaw training?” came the inquiry in April 2019 from a woman interested in taking Game of Logging (GOL), a chainsaw safety course Merck Forest sponsors with Northeast Woodland Training (NEWT). I found it an intriguing idea. Why not host a women’s GOL class? While our classes were filled predominately by men, women did occasionally sign up. Perhaps a class where women could come together and learn how to handle a chainsaw would be enticing and empowering, a way for women to gain skills in an area that is predominately male, in a space where they would not have to compete with men.

The 2013 National Woodland Owner survey results show that women are the primary owners of 475,000 acres (20%) of Vermont woodlands, and co-own 1.1 million acres (46%). With forestry being male-dominated, women often lack the knowledge and experience in managing these lands, and as women tend to outlive their male counterparts, they are often left to manage woodlands without that knowledge or skill to do so. One important part of woodland management is understanding how to safely use one of the key tools required for the job: chainsaws.

It made sense. A quick internet search turned up a few women’s courses that were offered, and an inquiry to NEWT put it into action. In the Fall of 2019, MFFC offered its first Women’s GOL Level 1 course with David Birdsall, co-owner of NEWT, leading a full class of ten women in the techniques of safely felling a tree.

This fall, we again offered women’s only chainsaw courses: a Basic course, designed for those who have little to no experience using a chainsaw, as well as GOL Level 1 and Level 2. The classes filled again, as women signed up, eager to be self-reliant –either by choice or by necessity – in stewarding their woodlands. As I look back on these past two years - 2019 & 2020 - with four sessions of GOL classes, two in which women’s classes were offered and two in which classes were co-ed, it’s clear. Offering women’s GOL classes dramatically increases the number of women who participate in chainsaw safety classes. Furthermore, when women’s GOL classes are offered, women tend to advance to higher levels of training.

As women take on the task of managing their woodlands, having the necessary knowledge and skills to manage that land is essential. Women’s chainsaw classes provide an avenue to gain those skills, allowing them to confidently and safely use the tools required for the job.

Game of Logging: Staying Safe in the Woods By the Numbers

by Chris Hubbard, Education Director

Over this past spring and fall, Merck Forest has hosted a total of 11 individual Basic and Game of Logging chainsaw classes, for over 90 hours of instruction. Classes ranged from the Basic class, for those how have little to no experience with a chainsaw, up to GOL Level 4, which addresses cleaning up storm damaged trees. With each class capped at 10 students, the result was 110 spots being available across all classes, with 97 of those spots being filled.

This past spring saw a total of 25 individuals (4 women and 21 men) complete, at a minimum, one course, with many registering for multiple courses. And this fall saw 37 individuals (21 women and 16 men) enroll and complete the courses. In total, 25 women and 37 men have gone through at least one chainsaw safety course held at Merck Forest this year. That’s 62 people receiving instruction in safety protocol when using a chainsaw, resulting in more people, men and women, who are safer in the woods because of the training they’ve received.

Chainsaws: 101

by Chris Hubbard, Education Director

I have never been much of a fan of chainsaws. Yes, I know they are valuable tools that make putting up wood or felling a tree much easier than doing it by hand. But they’re also dangerous, with sharp spinning chains that can do a lot of damage if not used properly. Frankly, they scare me, and as a result, I’ve never handled one, much less used one for any purpose. But, co-owning a 15-acre woodlot and heating our home with wood made me realize that knowing how to use a chainsaw might be a useful skill –that and the fact that a small electric chainsaw made it into our home this summer. I was slightly intrigued. Maybe it was something I could learn how to use.

I am also, in the capacity of Education Director at Merck Forest, administering the Game of Logging classes we sponsor with Northeast Woodland Training: booking the classes, communicating with interested parties, handling the details needed to have successful classes. It would be good to know more about the classes I was promoting and talking to folks about.

I decided to take the step to learn about using chainsaws this fall, when we offered the Women’s Basic Chainsaw class. I needed to learn how to use this machine that I was so uneasy about. The Basic Chainsaw Safety class is designed for those who have little to no experience using a chainsaw. Actual saw work is limited to cutting “tree cookies” and wedges. No felling trees in this class! Perfect!

Early on a cool Saturday morning, I circled up in the parking lot with eight other women. David Birdsall, co-owner of Northeast Woodland Training, talked us through a myriad of topics ranging from the use of personal protective equipment (a pair of chaps are much cheaper than a stitch in the emergency room) to how to put a chain onto the bar and properly tighten it (Santa’s sleigh goes away from you and over the bar). The sound of chainsaws zinged in the air as we tentatively tried starting our saws.

After the tailgate lecture, we were ready. Bright orange helmets and chaps were donned, and we hiked into the wooded area below the Visitor Center where we would have a chance to try using the saws. Trees were marked by orange flagging (those to be saved) and spray paint (those that could be cut). We learned how a tree is assessed before it is felled: the lean, the potential hazards, the planning of an escape route; and we watched as David dropped several trees that we would practice on.

Instructed on the forces in play, we tried our hands at cutting tree cookies, with the goal of leaving just a sliver of bark connecting the cookie to the tree trunk. We stood and watched intently, as each of us had our turn. When my turn came, the saw cut like butter, wood chips spraying off the chain, and the cookie held on by that sliver of bark. Next came wedges, as we tried to have one cut meet the other. David’s patient instruction and encouragement for each person resulted in turning our group of nervous first-time chainsaw operators into novices who were confident we could safely operate a saw at the level of our training. That night I fell into bed exhausted. The amount of information I had absorbed was enormous, and I had grown from being very wary of chainsaws to having the confidence to use it safely for what I learned. Will I be felling any trees? No, not yet. At least not until I take Level 1: Precision Felling Techniques!