Whether their boots are in the lumberyard or spiked into a tree high above the ground, logging workers know the value of the trees they harvest. The timber they take provides the raw material for hundreds of products for home and business use. Logging workers include several categories: Fallers cut down trees with chain saws and axes, then cut them into measured lengths. Logging equipment operators use heavy machinery for the same tasks. They move the logs to be loaded for transport, and pull stumps and clear brush if required. Log graders and scalers inspect logs to estimate their value. They enter data about trees on hand-held devices, and grade the lumber in the yards where logs are collected before shipping. Logging worker supervisors have years of experience in the field. They train workers, assign jobs, and solve on-site problems to ensure compliance with regulations. Working around falling trees and heavy equipment, logging requires a balance of quick, intelligent decision-making and an appetite for physical work. Workers spend all their time outdoors… often climbing and lifting… sometimes in poor weather. The hazards of logging require rigorous safety practices and equipment. Work is usually more available in warmer months, and may be located in remote, isolated sites. A significant number of logging workers are self-employed. While many logging workers have a high school education, almost all learn on the job.
What they do:
Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.
On the job, you would:
Stop saw engines, pull cutting bars from cuts, and run to safety as tree falls.
Appraise trees for certain characteristics, such as twist, rot, and heavy limb growth, and gauge amount and direction of lean, to determine how to control the direction of a tree's fall with the least damage.
Saw back-cuts, leaving sufficient sound wood to control direction of fall.
Engineering and Technology
mechanical
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
manufacture and distribution of products
Basic Skills
keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Reaction Time and Speed
quickly move your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command
quickly move your arms and legs
Controlled Movement
use your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down
quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat
Endurance
exercise for a long time without getting out of breath
Hand and Finger Use
hold or move items with your hands
People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
Dependability
Attention to Detail
Adaptability/Flexibility
Integrity
Self Control
Concern for Others
You might use software like this on the job:
Spreadsheet software
Microsoft Excel
Analytical or scientific software
Assisi Compiler
Assisi Software Assisi Resource
Geographic information system
ESRI ArcView
no high school diploma/GED or high school diploma/GED usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
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