Paul Smith’s College launches logger-training program

The School of Logging is in full swing at Paul Smith’s College until Aug. 5.

The four-week course prepares students to become loggers who are ready to enter the workforce. They learn to safely operate common logging equipment such as chainsaws, cable skidders, log loaders, feller bunchers and whole-tree harvesters during authentic timber-harvesting operations on Paul Smith’s College land. Graduates earn their New York logger-training certification and are eligible for paid internships in the forest-products industry.

“This program promotes sound forestry practices and sustainable development of the rural workforce,” said professor Brett McLeod, chair of the Forestry department at Paul Smith’s College. “We’re training the next generation of loggers to be stewards of an important renewable resource: the vibrant working forests in our region.”

The School of Logging is funded by a $300,000 grant from the New York State Department of Labor. New York state Sen. Betty Little secured the funding in the state budget in 2015 in response to a logger labor shortage.

The New York State Workforce Development Institute funds instruction for the course as well as internships for students and assists with job placement.

About Paul Smith’s College
At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. We are the only four-year institution of higher education in the Adirondacks. Our programs – in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sciences – draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. For more information, visit paulsmiths.edu.