This class will help you “Be Prepared” to safely use a chain saw by teaching you to complete proper maintenance, use personal protective equipment, and use the correct techniques, all critical components of safe chain saw operation. Council properties rely on chainsaws to help clear trails, remove deadfalls, clear timber, and stockpile wood for campfires and heating buildings. At the end of this course, you should be able to use a chain saw in low, basic, and complex situations.

National camp standards require that chain saw operators be at least 21 years old and meet one of the following requirements:

1. Be a professional forester.

2. Be a certified arborist.

3. Have current written documentation of having other training in these techniques that is recognized by the state or federal government.

4. Have successfully completed the BSA Chain Saw Safety Training course, No. 430-136. (Successful completion of this training program achieves this goal.)

Operators must be proficient and practiced in chain saw operation. Sawyers who have not operated a chainsaw recently or are unfamiliar with current practices should report this to the Camp Ranger (or property supervisor). Like a “swim check” at the waterfront, the property supervisor can recheck the skills, personal protective equipment (PPE), and general knowledge of sawyers before granting permission to operate a chain saw on camp property. 

To achieve the Level 1 Sawyer Certificate, you will receive 8 hours of classroom and 4 hours of practical training on chain saw maintenance, operation, and safety.

At the end of this course, you will know how to:

• Identify and explain how to properly use all required Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Identify the parts of a chainsaw
• Describe the necessary chain maintenance to keep a chain saw running properly
• Demonstrate how to Clean and sharpen a chainsaw
• Identify the daily, weekly, and monthly chain saw maintenance requirements
• Demonstrate how to fuel a chainsaw safely
• Demonstrate how to transport a chainsaw safely
• Demonstrate how to safely start a chainsaw
• Demonstrate the proper stance and hand position to use when using a chain saw
• Explain reactive forces and explain how to counter them
• Demonstrate how to fell a tree safely
• Demonstrate how to limb a felled tree safely
• Demonstrate how to buck a felled tree safely
• Demonstrate how to use a chainsaw safely