Home Page

Core Curriculum

The five-day PTH training program offers four levels of chainsaw safety training and forest management.

Chainsaw Safety Training

Level 1
Introduces the participant to open face felling and the development of techniques to safely use it. Topics covered include personal protective equipment, chainsaw safety features, chainsaw reactive forces, bore cutting, pre-planning the fell, and understanding hinge wood strength.

Level 2
Maximizes chainsaw performance through basic maintenance, carburetor setting, and filing techniques. Limbing and bucking techniques are introduced, spring pole cutting is covered and more felling is practiced.

Level 3
Offers techniques for handling difficult trees. Topics covered include limbing, height measurement, segment calculations, wedging techniques and hinge placement. The felling is done against the tree’s natural lean and participants also limb and buck using techniques demonstrated in Level 2.

Level 4
Offers ways to maximize a harvest plan for safety and productivity. Felling is practiced at working speed using all the techniques from previous levels. This level is geared to the user group.

Forest Management

Focuses on Best Management Practices (BMP), managing for long-term profitability and forest ecology and wildlife.

Required Equipment:

  1. Operating Chainsaw
  2. Chain Files
  3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
    1. Helmet
    2. Eye Protection
    3. Hearing Protection
    4. Chainsaw
    5. Chaps
    6. Boots, preferably steel toe