logging/

[adforester]

Hi everyone,
I currently do work in landscape maintanence for the past 3 years, but have also done 2 years of masonry, as well as iron working, among other trades. I've run a saw since I was 12 and cut around 5 cords of wood a winter for my father, i am 24. I am looking to move to a new part of the country, anywhere really and am interested in doing some timber felling. I guess i'm a real newbie, but what do fellers and people just coming into the industry have to look into? Do you work the line first? Has anyone ever got up, moved and secured a job working for a logging company or land clearing co.?

if not whats your story of how you became involved?

 

[bullbuck]

i have never traveled from this area to find work,but wether it be logging,construction,whatever the job may be?i have always had good luck showing up on the jobsite early monday morning ready to work wherever it might be,i have had more luck doing that over phone calls,applications etc.,and yes logging can be alot of fun,good luck

 

[slowp]

I would not recommend coming out here now. There isn't much logging going on. One company guy said they had a stack of job applications a foot deep.

 

[redprospector]

When I got started I was looking for a job, any job. I found out that a logging crew met at the local convenience store a little before 5 every morning, so I started showing up then too. I hit the cat boss up for a job every morning, untill one morning he asked; What's it going to take to get you to leave me alone? I told him to give me a job & I'd leave him alone. He started me out on the landing at $5.00 an hour. That was a day or two ago.

Andy

P.S. Not much logging left anymore, not sure that tactic would work now aday's.

 

[Billy_Bob]

Wanting to do felling or be a machine operator is starting out at the top!

You would have better results by being open to any job in the logging industry, and even better results by including any sort of tree work, which would include working for a tree service - which would do tree work for homes/businesses and clear trees from power lines.

Around here in the logging business, people start out as "choker setters". And they want people who will show up to work and WORK hard.

I know one small time logging outfit which has had problems with hiring choker setters who don't show up for work sometimes, or will be hung over from drinking too much the night before, don't want to work very hard, etc.

I suppose if you asked these people for a job, said you did not drink or did not drink much, and do not use drugs, they might welcome you with open arms! Although they would still want someone with experience. And they tend to hire a friend of a friend, someone's brother, etc.

And if you have the last name of someone they don't like, they will assume you are related and not have anything to do with you.

You would have better opportunities with more credentials under your belt. Knowing how to repair chainsaws, having a utility arborist certificate and training, etc.

Then the guys I know who became fellers or heavy equipment operators were working in the business, then were at the right place at the right time. The people doing these jobs might have been away for a day and they filled in for that day. Then later when the person stopped working there, they got the job. (With a lot of pleading and begging.)

One guy I know worked 10 years before he got to operate heavy machinery.

Anyway if you have a dream and you are persistent, you can eventually reach your goal. But currently in my area of Oregon, we have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. (For all jobs.)

So if you were to move out here, I would suggest you have a large bankroll to pay rent and survive for 6 months.

As to getting a job in logging, go to the small logging towns and about 5:00 PM, go to the local bars/taverns and look for trucks which have dirt/mud on them in the parking lot and have these louvered roll bars over the back window...

These are logger's trucks. Then go in that bar and make friends with the loggers. Play pool with them and lose most of the games. Buy them a beer after a few hours. Then after you get to know them after a week or so, ask if they have any work.

These bars are the small town employment offices for all sorts of work. Logging, construction, painting, etc.

The loggers wear suspenders and have filthy clothes on like this...

Loggers DO NOT look like this...

 

[hammerlogging]

Logging. Awesome. For some. Give it a try. I did, and I dig it, don't want to be anywhere (for work) than on a logging job.

So, you're from MA. You'd be bestoff in that area, so that you don't commit too much in these market conditions to a big move, a lot of unknowns. I work big tracts, sort of an east coast anomoly. And some of the advice you've been given comes from west coast, also big tracts, often bigger, lots of gov't land and big timber co land.

So, you could go to western MA. I've visited friends in Orange before, and it seemed like a nice place to log, I saw plenty of good timber around there. You will be looking for a small outfit working small tracts-- <50 acres, private landowners. Probably like 1 cable skidder, a up there probably a self loader. You tell them you want to cut, you can run a saw and want to be a faller (timbercutter is the term in the south, maybe there too) but will do anything- pull rope, set chokers, "I've never run a skidder, but I can run a ____ and know not to break stuff".

To find these outfits, follow a log truck and walk onto the landing. Or, ask at a (bigger) sawmill. Or, ask at a sawshop. Theres a real nice Stihl dealer sawshop I visited in Orange, they might know where to send you.

Work for this type of crew for a while, learn to fill 4 tandem axle truckloads a day, then 4 tractor trailer loads a day, then leave and go cut fora big guy on big tracts and get paid well, have workers comp, work as much as you want, have tons of saw expenses, and live the glory. Out west, WV, or if theres some other land in the east coast where this can be done. Or walk on a heli crew. But the small outfits are where you should start and learn the trade, and will have the most luck without the risk of a big move, green, to the west coast.

Pretty much my story at least. Its hard to keep busy enough on the small crews, they are easily convinced to take days off due to weather, so its more boom and bust. But, gets you familiar to make the next step.

Good luck, nothin' like it.

 

[hammerlogging]

Oh yeah, if you want tobe a faller you have to plan on atleast one of the following, due to mechanization:

a. You will be working on po-dunk small crews than can't pay for mechanization. These will be small tracts mostly, and probably bad forestry practices. Little money.

b. good forestry, small tracts, still little money

c. steep steep ground

d. big timber, i.e. avg. dbh > 22 in.

 

[380LGR]

Go get a job at Wallmarts becuase at the end of the week you will have money and the energy to spend it. Run run as fast as you can from this dead end hell of a life....

 

[tramp bushler]

Hi everyone,
I currently do work in landscape maintanence for the past 3 years, but have also done 2 years of masonry, as well as iron working, among other trades. I've run a saw since I was 12 and cut around 5 cords of wood a winter for my father, i am 24. I am looking to move to a new part of the country, anywhere really and am interested in doing some timber felling. I guess i'm a real newbie, but what do fellers and people just coming into the industry have to look into? Do you work the line first? Has anyone ever got up, moved and secured a job working for a logging company or land clearing co.?

if not whats your story of how you became involved?

..

.

. No racial slur intended in any way , but yes people up and move ,go thru hard times and get a chance and make a go of it ... Mexicans do it quite often ........
Because you are a generation younger than I am .. and it seems no one ever taught your generation this , again no slur intended ... But the way to get a job and make a good go of it ... Is be straight forward .. Don,t be crooked , or a cheat .. like bullbuck says show up ready to work , and work your butt off all day long . everyday !!!!!!! ..... Find the toughest , hardest working guy on the crew , and out work him ,and DON,T GET HURT . I CAN,T STRESS THAT ENOUGH DON,T GET HURT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..When you do , don,t hypocondriak the thing to death . If you get hurt ,and when things hurt , get it back up and running and get back to work .......... In alot of these jobs us old farts like to work hard .. but most of us have lernt to work SMART .. But you will need to compete with guys like me .............. I can,t take too much credit for where I have got to and what I have done .... If Jesus hadn,t kept me alive and healed me up alot of times . Who knows , I may be in the Craig cemetery also .. Have enough guys I worked with that managed that ..........
.
.That keeping your self in one living , fully functioning piece can,t be stressed enough ............But you also need to do the job completely ... Keep your head in the game !!!!! It,s too bad there arn,t 009 Madills all over the place loggin ... Settin snares on a tower is about the best way in the world to get started in the brush ...

 

[056kid]

like others are saying, go out and bother people.

Find a logger and ask if you can get a job. Just be willing to do anything they ask.
If you did get a spot falling right off the bat, without guidance on what exactly to do, you pretty much are setting your self up to fail.start hooking chokers and watching every move everyone makes and try to figure out why.
You will learn tons..

If you want to try just walking on to a job just do it early, like when the crew arrives. Coming on the job in the middle of the day will get you disliked immediately.

good luck!

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

If you currently have a Job I would stick with it for the time being. Around the country many mills are cutting back and shutting down, which in turn means less woods work. Around here many that have been logging for 20-30 years are getting laid off because of market conditions. Hopefully things turn around soon.

 

[Jacob J.]

I would not recommend coming out here now. There isn't much logging going on. One company guy said they had a stack of job applications a foot deep.

When I got started I was looking for a job, any job. I found out that a logging crew met at the local convenience store a little before 5 every morning, so I started showing up then too. I hit the cat boss up for a job every morning, untill one morning he asked; What's it going to take to get you to leave me alone? I told him to give me a job & I'd leave him alone. He started me out on the landing at $5.00 an hour. That was a day or two ago.

Andy

P.S. Not much logging left anymore, not sure that tactic would work now aday's.

I'll add my voice to this. There's no future in logging in the west. Go to school, get and education or use the trades you have under your belt now. If you want to cut trees, get on a tree service or line clearance crew and do that. I have way too many timber falling contractor buddies that are currently doing menial labor jobs waiting for the log market to come back, and these are guys with 10-25 years experience each in the woods.

One of the happiest guys I know right now (that I've posted about before) is a cutter I used to work with who got out of the woods and started his own mom and pop custodial business. He's got more work now than he wants and he's making more than double what he made cutting timber. Plus the wear and tear on his body is a lot less. He works nights and sets his own hours. He works four long shifts during the late week/weekend and has three days off.

 

[GASoline71]

Wanting to do felling or be a machine operator is starting out at the top!

That is a fact... thanks to all the loggin' "reality" shows on TV... everybody wants to be a logger.

You gotta earn your lumps to get to be a faller or operator.

Get used to chasin' hooks, and settin' chokes for quite some time before you get to even run a saw...

Gary