Instructors and Graduates for 2018 Saw Class
Mendocino National Forest
The Forest Service requires that volunteers - who use
chainsaws to clear trails of downed trees - get certified or recertified every
3 years. It was that recertification requirement
that prompted QWR’s, Don Amador, to attend a recent chainsaw class guided by tenets
of the new National Forest Saw Policy.
The chainsaw class was hosted by the Mendocino National
Forest and students included agency staff and trail volunteers from the
BlueRibbon Coalition/Sharetrails.org, Quiet Warrior Racing, Polka Dots
Motorcycle Club, Mendocino 4x4 Club, and the California Four Wheel Drive
Association. The class instructor was Captain
of the Mendocino Hotshots, a highly skilled wildfire suppression team.
New Sawyer Card
According to the Forest Service, volunteer sawyers
covered by those policies often maintain trails on national forests and
grasslands or work in Wilderness where crosscut saws are required. The national
saw directive standardizes training, evaluation, certification, and safety
procedures for sawyers operating on lands managed by the agency.
The safety planning components are related to Felling,
Bucking, Brushing and Limbing Plans that uses a planning logic strategy which
includes the following analysis and project description categories; Objective,
Hazards/Obstacles, Leans/Binds, Escape Routes, and Cut Plan (OHLEC). This process is applied to all phases of the saw
operation.
Class Completion Certificate
Historically, the chainsaw certification levels were
largely based on tree size or Diameter at Breast Height (DBH). The current
certification rating is more focused on the complexity of the specific felling
or bucking task using OHLEC as a decision matrix. The sawyer certification levels are listed
below.
A Sawyer.
An apprentice sawyer who may saw only in
the least complex situations or, for training purposes, at the next higher
level and in either case only under the immediate supervision of a B or C
Sawyer qualified to supervise the work.
B Sawyer
– Bucking Only (not applicable in
the fire management context). An intermediate sawyer who may independently buck
and limb any size material in moderately complex situations and who may saw at
the next higher level, but only under the immediate supervision of a sawyer
qualified to supervise the work
B Sawyer
– Felling and Bucking. An intermediate sawyer who may independently
fell, buck, and limb any size material in moderately complex situations. This
person may saw at the next higher level under the immediate supervision of a
sawyer qualified to supervise the work. This person may also conduct classroom
and field training for A and B Sawyers with prior written approval from the Saw
Program Coordinator.
C Sawyer
– Bucking Only (not applicable in
the fire management context). An advanced sawyer who may independently buck and
limb any size material in highly complex situations based on the Regional Saw
Program Manager’s or Saw Program Coordinator’s written recommendation. The
recommendation must be supported by demonstrated advanced saw knowledge,
skills, and in most cases certification as a B Sawyer. This person may conduct
classroom and field training within that person’s skill level for A and B
Sawyers, and may conduct field proficiency evaluations within that person’s
skill level for A Sawyers and B Sawyers ̶ Bucking Only.
C Sawyer ̶
Felling
and Bucking. An advanced sawyer who may independently fell, buck, and limb
any size material in highly complex situations based on the Regional Saw Program
Manager’s or Saw Program Coordinator’s written recommendation. The recommendation
must be supported by demonstrated advanced saw knowledge, skills, and in most
cases certification as a B Sawyer. This person may conduct
classroom, field training, and proficiency evaluations for A and B Sawyers.
LINK TO INFO ON THE FOREST SERVICE NATIONAL
SAW PROGRAM
https://www.fs.fed.us/about-agency/regulations-policies/saw-policy
https://www.fs.fed.us/about-agency/regulations-policies/saw-policy
Don Amador, President of Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting,
states, “I believe the agency has improved its chainsaw training program for
trail volunteers with enhanced classroom curriculum and plenty of time
allocated for field instruction.”
“I agree with a number of trail volunteers that I talked
with (who had been certified under the old saw program) that the new
complexity-based certification system makes a lot of sense. I also appreciated the program’s sharp focus
on safety with a primary goal of getting you and your crew back home for dinner
at the end of the day,” Amador concludes.
Again, the training is very comprehensive. Topics include, but are not limited to:
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), area size up, proper body positioning and
stance, familiarity with OSHA
requirements and regulations, physics of “binds”, physics of “kickback”, sawyer/swamper
communication, cutting area control, danger tree awareness, job hazard analysis and emergency evacuation
plans, Forest Service radio
communication, radio procedures and how to use a Forest Service radio; parts of the chainsaw, how to sharpen chainsaw chain, and saw maintenance; and of course the inclusion of safe chainsaw
handling, starting and stopping procedures, use of escape routes, and safe fueling of the saw to avoid “fuel geysers.”
QWR continues to believe the need for a trained
professional volunteer workforce will continue to grow as federal agencies roll
out new programs such as the Forest Service’s National Trail Strategy or face
challenges such as recreation budget cutbacks or staffing shortages.
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