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The crosscut saw is one of the icons of the wilderness steward, a symbol of the restraint and care that should be used in managing the nation’s wilderness. But training and certification in the saw’s use is a time consuming process. That’s one reason why the U.S. Forest Service has formed a working group to develop a nationally consistent policy on training and certification.
Standing nearly as tall as a person and requiring two people to use it efficiently, the crosscut saw isn’t something to be mastered in an hour or two. It takes real training to learn to wield it, to know the dangers its use can invite, and to understand how to use it safely.
“The federal land agencies all offer training on the crosscut saw and other traditional tools. But each agency has different requirements for training and certification, as do different USFS regions and forests,” says Jimmy Gaudry, Southern Region Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Program Leader and liaison to the NWSA Board. “As a result, a sawyer certified on one forest may find s/he’s not certified to work or volunteer on a different forest, park, refuge or BLM area.”
The topic sparked a lively discussion at the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance conference last March. Wilderness stewards were frustrated at the time it takes to get certified and by the lack of consistent training across forests, regions and agencies. The inconsistencies lead to serious inefficiencies and have interfered with steward organizations’ efforts. Many agency staff at the meeting noted that this was a long-festering concern among NGOs and agency personnel.
Joel Holtrop, then Deputy Chief of the Forest Service (who has since retired), took the matter to heart and formed a USFS working group. This working group consists of a mix of USFS personnel from the field, regional offices, and the Washington Office. The group has been meeting regularly since January, 2012 with the goal of having draft recommendations this summer.
“The saw policy working group will propose recommendations for Forest Service national guidance related to non-fire use of chainsaws (outside of wilderness areas) and crosscut saws, “ says Steve Chesterton, a member of the group and a Natural Resources Specialist for the USFS Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. “Its goals are to promote the safe use of saws on National Forest System land and optimize utilization of all trained and certified sawyers on projects, whether they be employees, partners, volunteers, or contractors.”
Another objective of the working group is to establish a consistent standard for determining who can train crosscut sawyers. This may allow for some volunteers to assume the role of trainer and assist the Forest Service in meeting the increasing demand for this skill.
“Currently, a volunteer is typically trained and recommended for certification by a Forest Service employee, and then approved by a district ranger or forest supervisor. “There may be more efficient ways of moving the certification along.” noted Gaudry.
Still under consideration and discussion is the mechanism in which the working group’s recommendations will be brought forward and shared.
The USFS effort is welcome news for steward groups that work with the Forest Service, but what about training consistency across other lands agencies?
“As our work within the USFS progresses we will continue to share our efforts with other agencies. We are always looking for opportunities to work with other agencies to foster more collaboration in this arena and have many successes already occurring such as interagency workshops.” says Gaudry.
One such is the Wilderness Skills Institute, scheduled for North Carolina May 21- June 1. A joint project of The Wilderness Society’s Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards program, The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, The United States Forest Service and The National Park Service, the Institute will cover crosscut saws and much more. Check out the Institute here.
Learn more about the use of traditional tools.