In a couple months I’ll be allowed to wear flannel checkered shirts, and talk about Paul Bunyon like he’s family. I’m signed up for two courses sponsored by the Northwest Natural Resource Group‘s Northwest Certified Forestry Program, of which I’ve been a member for a couple years.

The courses will be held in a private forest near the town of Oakville, about 1.5 hours south of Seattle. I got the scoop from an active employee of NNRG; he’s a very helpful and friendly guy that I have spoken with on a number of occasions regarding forestry topics, and he publishes a great monthly informational e-newsletter for NNRG members.

The first course will be held for two solid days: “Precision Tree Felling and Chainsaw Safety”. It emphasizes all the best and latest chainsaw safety practices, plus teaches tree felling and handling techniques. This course will emphasize the cutting of alder, which is great since they are the most difficult trees to cut due to their wood characteristics and generally angled trunks which place high force strains on them compared to more vertical species. Most other species are easier to cut. So, learning on alder provides a strong basis for cutting just about anything on our property. I still will hire pros for any big projects or large trees. But, I know there will very likely come occasional times when I need to cut a single small tree or large branch or such. Having this background will make that much safer and I’ll be able to do it properly.

The second course follows on the third day: “ATV & Tractor Small-Scale Yarding Course”. This one emphasizes how to properly move logs around after a tree is felled, using small equipment.

Looking forward to both. It should be an interesting set of courses, taught hands-on by local experts in the field.