Women and Chainsaws

If you don’t already love your chainsaw, you will after this class. We will focus on chainsaw safety and operation, and briefly touch on maintenance. We will discuss finding and caring for PPE (personal protective equipment) that fits you properly, creating and maintaining a safe work environment, and safe chainsaw operation. We will bring several different chainsaws to show differences in chain type, bar length, handle placement, etc.

In the afternoon we will work on how to safely operate a chainsaw while practicing basic chainsaw skills. We will have a limited amount of PPE for you to use if you do not have your own. During this class no one will be allowed to operate a chainsaw, whether it is your own or one of ours, unless you are wearing adequate PPE: chaps or chainsaw pants; and a helmet with eye, ear and face protection.

What to Bring: Your chainsaw, if you have one; Your PPE (head, ear, and eye protection; boots and work gloves); the clothing you need to be warm and comfortable in the classroom and outside; Your lunch, snacks, and a water bottle.

Instructor Bios: 

Louise Levy holds a master’s degree in silviculture and after a decade of experience in rural forestry, made a small but seismic lateral shift into the world of urban forestry and arboriculture. In 2011 she founded Levy Tree Care, and since tree care and civic engagement go hand in hand for her, she also spends time on community presentations, donations of tree care, tree preservation advocacy, sponsorship of arts programs, and collegial professional development.

Jenna Strait is a certified B level sawyer with the U.S. Forest Service in both gas-powered and crosscut saws and works as a utility line clearance arborist. Jenna’s background also includes work as an Americorps field coordinator, where she conducted chainsaw safety, operation and maintenance classes for service volunteers in the arrowhead region of Minnesota.

Holly Rose McKnight is a certified B level feller with the U.S. Forest Service and an assistant chainsaw safety trainer for Forest Safety Instruction, where she helps guide people in a variety of industries across the Midwest on how to use a chainsaw safely, correctly, and confidently. Her background also includes working with the National Park Service and contracting with the Forest Industry Safety and Training Association and the Minnesota Women’s Woodland Network.

WEI has an annual scholarship fund to support cost-accessible programming. Please see scholarship application instructions in the class registration form.