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July 2008
 GRAND GORGE, NY -- Four students from the Northern Catskills Occupational Center at Grand Gorge successfully completed their New York Logger Training on May 16. Darrell Stannard from Charlotte Valley Central School, Randy Brainerd from Gilboa-Conesville Central, Josh Williamson and Nick Gage, both from Stamford Central, each received the NY Logger Training certificate during a presentation ceremony held near Prattsville, NY , following the third and final phase of training, Game of Logging I,. “We got pretty wet. It rained just about all day, but it was worth it,” commented Brainerd.
The students earned their passing grades and certification to the statewide forestry safety training initiative as part of their BOCES program. Game of Logging I focuses on safety in the maintenance and operation of the chain saw plus safe tree-felling techniques. Last October, the four high school seniors began the training and successfully completed two day-long training sessions in Forestry Ecology and Silviculture, as well as Adult First Aid and CPR. “One of the best parts was that we got to talk with people who actually do this kind of work for a living,” remarked Gage.
Along the way, Ricky Lutz, a Certified Logger from Prattsville, gave generously of his time and talent to help the students gain understanding of safety practices while improving their timber-harvesting skills. As a result of their certification, two of the students will work directly in the forest products industry after graduation. One will enter the military, and the fourth will attend SUNY-Cobleskill to study Agricultural Engineering and continue cutting firewood for home use.
Denny Perry, Work Experience Coordinator at ONC BOCES in Milford, NY states that attrition within the logging sector is one of many challenges facing the local forest products industry. “One of the goals of our program is to prepare a new generation of skilled professionals to work in our local forests allowing them to stay in the area and earn a living wage caring for the land.”
NY Logger Training and the Game of Logging program were developed to help timber harvesters, landowners, and other forest workers learn to implement safe work practices while increasing harvesting production. Potential forest products industry employers know that holders of NY Trained Logger Certification (TLC®) are not starting at “square one.” They also realize such recipients help ensure opportunities for harvesting in forests located in the NYC Watershed. TLC® individuals can earn bonus payments based on their production, receive awards upon (re)certification, and take advantage of many cost-sharing benefits offered through the Watershed Agricultural Council.
The TLC® training is sponsored by the Watershed Agricultural Council, hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County, and approved by New York Logger Training, Inc. NCOC (Northern Catskills Occupational Center) is a division of the Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES.
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