Join LEA and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association for a 2-day chainsaw safety workshop, right here in Bridgton!
July 9-10, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Saturday is a shorter day) $200; $150 for MOFGA members and Lakes Environmental Association members.
Learn safe chainsaw operation in this one-and-a-half-day course. We’ll cover personal protective equipment (PPE) and chainsaw selection, and practice safe handling and open-face bore cutting techniques with instructor supervision. This course is designed for beginners. You can register for the course here and find a complete course description below:
Course Details:
This introductory one and half-day in-person field course is suitable for new or beginning chainsaw operators. Our overwhelming focus is on safety and creating a space where participants feel comfortable asking questions and learning at their own pace. Chainsaws are serious business. Topics to be covered include personal protective equipment (PPE), saw operation and maintenance, filing, reactive forces, open-faced notch and bore cutting. The morning of Day 1 will be spent inside learning chainsaw basics, and proper PPE. In the early afternoon, we will move outside to practice bucking and open-faced notch and bore cutting. Day 2 will be spent outdoors. We will be in touch about where to meet each day, but all locations will be in Bridgton.
Please Note: MOFGA’s Low-Impact forestry workshops are not designed to meet certification requirements for other agencies’ programs. We recommend you contact the agency in question to confirm whether a particular training fulfills specific pre-requisites.
Lodging and Meals: MOFGA nor LEA are able to provide overnight accommodations for this course, and asks that participants commute to the class each day. We also ask that participants bring their own lunch and snacks each day. We will have extra water on site but please bring a refillable water bottle.
Safety & Materials: All participants must wear steel-toed boots. Please reach out to Noah at forestry@mofga.org if you have any questions about recommended steel toe boot brands. We can provide chainsaws and personal protective equipment (chaps, hard hats, etc.) for participants to share. We encourage you to bring your own saw and any equipment that you use in the woods. Please note, we do not allow the use of battery-powered or electric chainsaws during the course. Students will use the instructor’s saw if their saw does not pass a safety inspection.
