Dealing with leaning or downed trees is a common chore for trail volunteers, but not every volunteer should carry a chain saw.
Because that is dangerous work.
"Even lifelong sawyers can screw up," says Bert Turner, an Arkansas Master Naturalist and volunteer burn master at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. "There's so much more to it than cutting on the tree."
On public lands, volunteers work at the behest of land managers -- such as the U.S. Forest Service and Arkansas' state parks -- which do not permit untrained people to wield power tools in the woods. They have training programs, with classes held around the state at various times and a system of certification. "Most of the time" such classes are not designed for trail volunteers, Turner says.
But every so often, Turner arranges chain saw certification training for members of the various volunteer organizations that invite citizens into the woods to maintain trails, control planned burns or do post-disaster cleanup.
"This is for members of the Arkansas Master Naturalists, Central Arkansas Trails Alliance, groups like that," Turner says.
The next two opportunities are this weekend, with two chain saw classes to be offered at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Each class will meet twice: a day of classroom and shed-safety instruction, and then outdoors for a day of hands-on labor in which each student will cut down three trees and practice other skills.
Attendance is limited to 18, first-come, first-served, and students should be members of a trail-supporting group. Each instructor will supervise no more than three students at a time. Students supply their own saws and, if possible, their safety gear.
The two classroom sessions will meet from 8:30 to 4 or 5 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 20 (a Monday). The two outdoor days will be Oct. 21 and 22 at the state park.
Taught by the U.S. Forest Service and state park certified instructors, instruction will be based upon the Forest Service S-212 Chain Saw Training Course
and the state parks' Chain Saw Training Course, which lead to certifications.
Successful students are certified as an "A" (apprentice), "B" (intermediate) or "C" (advanced) sawyer; the ratings limit the types of jobs sawyers are qualified to tackle.
Forest and parks employees are required to obtain these certifications, and they take priority in class admissions. But Turner urges trail volunteers who want to help manage downed trees to try to attend.
"Sometimes," he says, "we'll have folks tell us, 'I've been cutting for 40 years, I don't need this,' and we'll tell them, 'Just take it anyway to get the piece of paper.' And after the class they tell us, 'I am so glad I did this. I could have killed myself at any time, and really soon.'"
Just being certified does not automatically qualify sawyers to cut on public land; the land-managing agency still must grant permission, and some agencies require other training, such as first aid.
More information is available by contacting Turner at bert_turner@att.net or (501) 551-9072.
ActiveStyle on 10/06/2014