Vermont Travel Notes

As summer winds down, it's time to think about firewood for the winter. Actually, here in Vermont and the rest of New England, 12 months of the year is a good time to think about firewood. I have an older neighbor who spends the summer cutting and splitting firewood. He makes up what appears to be about four cords of wood so I assume he must be heating his neat-as-a-pin log cabin with a wood stove.

Like most things, there is a right way to cut trees and a wrong way. The most recent mine disasters notwithstanding, the most dangerous occupation in the world is logging. Unless you know a trained professional who can teach you, you have to figure it out on your own (not a safe way to go about a dangerous job). Or you can take a course but they are not easy to find. Here is a school in Chester, Vermont that can help.

It is run by John Adler and his wife, Mary Beth who own Eagle Forest Improvements Inc, a logging company. They have 15 years experience teaching logging.

They own Northeast Woodland Training, Inc., a school that conducts classes employing a training technique called the Game of Logging. It is a widely known technique developed in the 1960s by Soren Eriksson, a Swedish logger turned training instructor. The Game is a combination of traditional Scandinavian logging and modern safely equipment and techniques.

The first day of the logging course covers chain saw operation and safety as well as basic tree cutting techniques. The second day is devoted to chain saw maintenance and sharpening plus more tree felling. The third and fourth days are devoted to more challenging trees such as leaning trees along with limbing and bucking techniques.

Even if you are just an occasional user of a chain saw around the yard, this course is great way to learn how to do it safely and in an enjoyable environment. You don't have to take all four days. There are classes for homeowners, professional loggers, high school/college, trail crew, etc. The school's website has a list of October classes.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus