interested in logging

[huskykid141]

I am 15 years old and i was wondering what states are the best for logging as a job. I do a lot of cutting at home and was thinking of going into logging for a carreer. If anyone is a logger i would appericiate it if you would tell me a little bit about it. thanks

 

[sILlogger]

hard work, dangerous, isn't as big of a business as it once was, expensive, seasonal, alot of loggers around here are believed to be lazy drunks(just want to work enought to buy more beer), market is unpredictable.

to be honest i wouldn't recommend anybody to jump feet first into logging as a career...go to school and get an education..so you have a back up..and if you still want to that give it a go. don't commit yourself to something that is that unpredictable

 

[treejunkie13]

have to agree with backup education, no doubt... body is wore out, no retirement, mother nature is rarely on our side, most of the time it is impossible to have a budget, one week your rich and then you may sit and wait for a couple weeks, when everything is going good, something bad is around the corner...
Once you got it in your blood, you can't get away!
and don't even get me started about the truck driver's hauling your product...

 

[big daddio]

these guys are givin' you good advice. go to a community college and hit the forestry program. experience will come a lot easier after some education. state forestry people can probably help with some logger training too.

 

[davegster]

There are many good forestry schools out there. Start by looking into programs at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (attached to Syracuse University) or Paul Smiths College in New York State. Loggers need to be smart to stay safe and make money!

 

[Billy_Bob]

You may have heard about the current "subprime lending crisis" on the news.

This has resulted in many homes being forclosed on and then placed for sale on the real estate market. Also lenders are not lending as much for home purchases lately.

Because there are too many homes on the market for sale, builders have reduced or stopped their building.

This means the sales of BUILDING MATERIALS has declined.

In my area they are closing wood mills and laying off mill workers.

Mills get their wood from loggers, so I would expect to see less work for loggers in the near future... (Although all those forclosures take a lot of paper, so maybe logging in the pulpwood areas is picking up?)

 

[Gologit]

hard work, dangerous, isn't as big of a business as it once was, expensive, seasonal, alot of loggers around here are believed to be lazy drunks(just want to work enought to buy more beer), market is unpredictable.

to be honest i wouldn't recommend anybody to jump feet first into logging as a career...go to school and get an education..so you have a back up..and if you still want to that give it a go. don't commit yourself to something that is that unpredictable

Well said. On the other hand, the new generation of loggers has to come from somewhere...and I wouldn't discourage a young guy wanting to try it.

The education thing is important. It's just not enough anymore to be a good hard worker and to have good skill sets. To be a logger today you have to live in a world of ever increasing complexity. Government regulation, environmental concerns, sound business practices, mechanical knowledge, and the constant evaluation of risk/reward are just as important.
And you still have to work hard...that never changes. And won't ever change.
I agree with the guys that are pointing you toward a formal education in forestry. Being able to fall and buck and skid and load are basic and you can learn those things in the woods...and you should. But the technical background that school gives you will enable you make more informed decisions and keep yourself productive at the same time.
So...go to school,get a degree in foresty or something related to it.
Then come on out to the woods and learn what logging really is.

 

[slowp]

Why not go to school, if you can, and find a summer logging job? Right now is a very bad time out here, lots of loggers looking for work, and not enough work.

I have a 2 year "degree". Doesn't count for much but it helped me get started. I now am what the loggers call when they are nice, The Forester.
Got the best of both worlds except for dealing with all the rules, bureaucracy, whining, etc.

The good thing about a 4 year degree is that you'll have more promotion potential and can probably get a forester job easily with a private company where they look happier. The bad thing is that if you work for my government agency, they'll stick you behind a computer and send you to endless meetings and you won't be out in the woods much, you'll be a "manager".

Logging wages have stagnated, and they don't make money like in the past. Young people are not going into it. One logger doesn't want his kids going into it, although he brings them out on the job sometimes. You might look into Idaho. There was an article in the paper that the Idaho loggers were having a hard time finding young guys for their crews. This was a year or two ago. Although Axemen makes it look fun, I've not seen anybody swinging on the rigging like that young guy, and they haven't shown an entire day of work going on in the wind and rain, or on a hot day. They haven't shown the bees or the bugs. They haven't talked about drinking problems and drugs or shown the day after payday when half the crew doesn't show. So think about it and give it a try before you commit yourself, and it always is good to have a backup skill. Like running heavy equipment if you don't want college. Good luck.

 

[abohac]

Great advice

I am 15 years old and i was wondering what states are the best for logging as a job. I do a lot of cutting at home and was thinking of going into logging for a carreer. If anyone is a logger i would appericiate it if you would tell me a little bit about it. thanks

Huskykid, you sound just like me when I was 15. I just wanted to stay home and farm. I did not like school, but did pretty well (my mother was a teacher and she cracked the whip). My dad told me that he would gladly take me on as a partner just as soon as I earned a 4 year degree. At that point I was very diasppointed. I did earn a 4 year degree, and a masters degree. I have been teaching now for about 20 years. I cut all kinds of wood (not logging just firewood), I have health insurance and a pension and I farm with my dad (about 1100 acres). I have the best of both worlds. My dad's advice was the best thing that happened to me. Please listen to these guys who are doing what you want to for a living. You have lots of time to log if you want when you get your education.

 

[sILlogger]

well...I'm a young pup as well (21) and have been logging for 4 1/2 years. started at 16-Jr in hs. the best way to learn will be to get hooked up with a family owned logging operation that knows what they are doing and is respected in your area, they will introduce you to the equipment, how it works, and how the work in performed....alot of times crews like this will take the time to teach a younger guy-because they relize that not to many youngsters want to work that hard. just be sure to be smart, listen to what they tell you, and don't think you know everything after a month...cuz you learn something new everyday you go out there-whether its your first day or youve been doing it for 30 years

I personally have been running my own logging business for a little over a year now. and i am also in my 3rd year of pursuing a bachelor's in forestry. the reason i'm getting a degree is that way when im 45-50 and my body is shot then ive got something else to go back on. the experience that i've had in the woods has been invaluable to me in the classroom. (but it is hard for me to sit in class when i need to be out logging!!). My next thing that im trying to get lined out is another source of income for when logging is slow(wet-i've always got timber to cut-just dont' have the weather to do it). you would be hard pressed to rely solely on logging as your source of income, because it is so wish-washy due to weather.

but now that i've been logging i can't amagine me doing anything else

"Once you get the sawdust in your veins your never get it out"

 

[stihl 440]

yup!

have to agree with backup education, no doubt... body is wore out, no retirement, mother nature is rarely on our side, most of the time it is impossible to have a budget, one week your rich and then you may sit and wait for a couple weeks, when everything is going good, something bad is around the corner...
Once you got it in your blood, you can't get away!
and don't even get me started about the truck driver's hauling your product...

Yup! Just about sums it up!

 

[stihl 440]

logging

well...I'm a young pup as well (21) and have been logging for 4 1/2 years. started at 16-Jr in hs. the best way to learn will be to get hooked up with a family owned logging operation that knows what they are doing and is respected in your area, they will introduce you to the equipment, how it works, and how the work in performed....alot of times crews like this will take the time to teach a younger guy-because they relize that a not to many youngsters want to work that hard. just be sure to be smart, listen to what they tell you, and don't think you know everything after a month...cuz you learn something new everyday you go out there-whether its your first day or youve been doing it for 30 years

I personally have been running my own logging business for a little over a year now. and i am also in my 3rd year of pursuing a bachelor's in forestry. the reason i'm getting a degree is that way when im 45-50 and my body is shot then ive got something else to go back on. the experience that i've had in the woods has been invaluable to me in the classroom. (but it is hard for me to sit in class when i need to be out logging!!). My next thing that im trying to get lined out is another source of income for when logging is slow(wet-i've always got timber to cut-just dont' have the weather to do it). you would be hard pressed to relie solely on logging as your source of income, because it is so wish-washy due to weather.

but now that i've been logging i can't amagine me doing anything else

"Once you get the sawdust in your veins your never get it out"

I couldn't have said it better.....

 

[huskykid141]

thanks for the info

thanks a lot for all of the info. I am thinking about going to college for 4 years for forestry. This way I can go into logging but like all of you said i have a back up when i get older and can't log anymore. I really appreciate all of the things you have told me and if you have any more things to tell me about your experiences logging i would appreciate it. thanks, huskykid141

 

[CollegeLogger]

i know i'm a little late on this but get the education like everyone else has said. I'm 19 right now and have grown up in the logging industry here in wisconsin driving log truck with dad, cutting down trees for firewood,and runnin skidder on the landing a little bit. All i ever wanted to do was cut timber but was told by many that do it to not get into it or do it for a little bit and dont make a living out of it. Right now i'm in at UWSP for a 4 year degree in forest managment and from what i've been told have a good job outlook. Like they said get an education and use the logging as a fallback or a hobby. i still cut tree's on the weekends and drive truck on break, but i know it's just part time and not an occupation. If ya really got the bug on logging another alternative is to join a fire crew outwest for a summer or to and see what it's like. This summer i'm goin to alaska on a fuels crew and i figure it's the only time that i'll cut timber as an actual job. Either that just go for it too cause most of the guys i know are getting up there and half of em are alcoholics. either way, just trying to relate to someone round my age and same mindset

 

[big daddio]

yeah, i started like sILlogger and collegelogger but logged for 25 years or so. and now i'm working on some college forestry classes. don't know about everywhere else but around here we frown on anybody that already knows everything.

 

[wildbio]

thanks a lot for all of the info. I am thinking about going to college for 4 years for forestry. This way I can go into logging but like all of you said i have a back up when i get older and can't log anymore. I really appreciate all of the things you have told me and if you have any more things to tell me about your experiences logging i would appreciate it. thanks, huskykid141

Look into the University of Montana in Missoula - the College of Forestry there is top notch. And great hunting, fly fishing, skiing in the area.