Howdy Ryan-
Most west coast logging outfits expect a timber faller to have some experience working on a logging crew first ( I think this was mentioned in a previous post ) so usually a guy has to spend a couple years on rigging crews working "the brush" before they put him to work cutting. That way you'll have a handle on where the wood is best placed for removal and you'll have an idea where the "Lanes" or skidding routes will be.
All of the logging shows out west here are mostly "High Lead", meaning that they use a tower yarder with a rolling carriage on a "skyline" and a "haulback" which carries all your chokers for looping wood. So basically a faller has to know how this all works before they enter the side to start falling.
Not much old growth anymore here, since the federal work is pretty much shut down, but hopefully Bush's plan will open the doors to some federal work, because some of it really does need to be done.
As far as pay goes, a starting cutter can expect to make a day rate. A larger outfit will start you out around 200 a day for 6-7 hours worth of cutting, and they'll start you in a younger, smaller stand of timber until you get your skills and stamina built up. Experienced cutters cut for scale, or board footage, and that's the best way to go. Most big outfits here will pay you at least $11.00 per thousand board feet, especially if you're using your own hydraulic jacks. It's fairly easy to cut around 25,000 board feet in just over 6 hours, depending on the type of ground you're working. That's with decent second growth averaging 30" butts.
My dad cut timber in Alaska in the late 70's and was averaging $600.00 a day cutting giant Sitka Spruce and Yellow Cedar. He ran McCulloch Pro 125s with 60" bars and Silvey 160 ton tree jacks ( triple RAMs ).
One more thing about western falling-
It's good to find yourself a partner, a buddy who's experienced and wants to go to work as a team for cutting. The biggest outfits hire cutters in "sticks", or teams of two, that way a guy isn't by himself in case he gets injured. Most guys work as contractors and they'll have from two to 14 guys working as a small crew. Each guy keeps track of his own scale and writes his own scale tickets and turns them into the "bullbuck" or cutting boss. The "bullbuck" works out of the "Bull shack" where they discuss a lot of "bull shoot".
you should of seen him runnin!!!!Funniest thing I saw that whole day...
