FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 12, 2021
For More Information:
Glenville State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115
GLENVILLE, WV – Students within the Glenville State College (GSC) Department of Land Resources’ timber harvesting course had the opportunity to take part in the West Virginia Division of Forestry’s (WVDOF) Timber Felling and Chainsaw Safety Workshop in the College Forest property recently.
The workshop, organized by WVDOF Service Forester Jesse King, was led by Forester Johnny King. During the workshop, students learned the importance of personal protective equipment, timber harvesting laws and regulations, how to obtain a timber harvesting license in the State of West Virginia, and OSHA regulations.
Following the lecture on laws and regulations, the students began refining the skills that they had already learned in their timber harvesting course, as well as learning new skills along the way. The hands-on training included practicing notches, boring into a tree, spring pole removal, tree topping, and more. Johnny King demonstrated a safe tree felling, followed by a stump analysis to discuss proper felling technique.
“This training teaches students what it takes to be safe in our forestry industry,” said Jesse King. “The students could go on to be a saw hand or work for agencies/companies in which it will be their responsibility to supervise employees and keep them safe. We hope that the students will take the techniques from this training and the skills learned in their timber harvesting course at GSC to go on to be the future of our field.”
“My favorite part of the class was definitely getting so much hands-on experience all at once,” said Gabrielle Dean, a sophomore Forest Technology student. “We’ve worked with chainsaws all semester, but getting to see who could bore closest to the hinge and really give everyone a chance to see where their skill levels were at was fun. We learned how to properly cut a spring pole (when the tree is bent over and the top is secured by something else causing tension), and reviewed notches and bores. Johnny also showed us some “loggers cuts” and how to properly clean up a tree when it’s in a weird place. I also enjoyed the stump analysis, I didn’t realize you could see so much in the stump that’s left, such as the cuts from the saw, the way the tree was intending to go, etc. We also talked about accidents that have happened close by and that really made the message of wearing your personal protective equipment hit home.”
“I liked the friendly competition during the class when we had to demonstrate our boring skills. Another tidbit I took away were the proper methods of cutting spring poles, taking a little at a time in a rocking motion as to prevent the chainsaw bar from getting pinched or taking too much at once to where the whole pole snaps all of a sudden,” said Marc Radcliff, a junior Forest Technology student. “Throughout the entire class – and really what’s clear to see through the entire course – is the focus on safety. The instructors know how dangerous tree felling can be. All of them, throughout the day, told stories of real-life examples and of people they know who have been injured in logging accidents; that always strikes a chord with me because I got crushed by a tree and was on crutches for months before I came to Glenville. The average person doesn’t stop and think about all the dangers that come with tree cutting.”
For more information about the programs of the Department of Land Resources at Glenville State College, contact the Department of Land Resources at Land.Resources@glenville.edu or (304) 462-6370.
