HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A typical pathway starts with finishing secondary school and taking courses that build practical and safety skills, such as First Aid, Machine Shop, and Physical Education. Many people then learn on the job or start as an equipment helper or labourer in logging, forestry, or heavy equipment work. Employers may look for experience with machinery, outdoor work, and safe operation in rough terrain. Training can include instruction on cable yarders, harvesters, forwarders, processors, or loaders, and requirements may vary by employer, province, and the type of logging job.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Cable yarding system operators operate machines to transport trees from logging areas to landing or log loading sites in mountainous terrain in western Canada.
- Mechanical harvester and forwarder operators assess site and terrain and drive heavy equipment to perform a combination of felling, slashing, bucking, bunching and forwarding operations at logging areas.
- Mechanical tree processor and loader operators operate a variety of machines which perform a combination of slashing, bucking, chipping, sorting and loading logs or trees at landing sites.
SKILLS TO BUILD
Skills used in this Career
MachineryPhysical/outdoor workSafety Procedures