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LEAP to begin offering some workshops

Submitted by tim on

Vermont Business Magazine As COVID-19 is starting to come under control, LEAP (Logger Education to Advance Professionalism) will begin offering some workshops again. To deal with the no-training year of 2020, we are bumping everyone up one year from wherever you are at currently. In other words, if your Certification Period was 2018-2020, then you will now be 2019-2021 etc. We will work with everyone to get your status with LEAP back to normal. As per the Governor’s Emergency Order regarding COVID-19, we will continue to follow the recommended guidelines. Masks will be worn, and group occupancies will be observed.

Also, and very importantly, as many of you know the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FP&R) has worked to create the Vermont Logger Safety and Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program. Employers whose employees meet the training standards and demonstrate that they have implemented safe practices at their logging operations, through an onsite consultation and verification with a Loss Prevention Specialist, will be eligible for a 15% discount on their workers’ compensation insurance premiums. LEAP is pleased to be able to assist FP&R by offering safety training to satisfy the requirements of this program.

Through working closely with FP&R in developing these trainings, LEAP has come to realize that promoting a culture of safety for all professional loggers is paramount. That is why we have decided that this training is important for everyone enrolled in LEAP. As a result, a modification of the VT LEAP Program has evolved, and curriculum requirements have changed. LEAP now has what we are calling a core curriculum to complete in order to become LEAP certified along with continuing education requirements. There will be two tracks of trainings that you will need to choose from whether you run a mechanized operation or non-mechanized. The main difference is whether you are using a chainsaw to fell the trees or sitting inside a machine that will do this for you.

The revised curriculum requirements are as follows:

For a logger who is already LEAP certified and has taken Professionalism in Forestry and Managing Forest Ecosystems, (formerly called the Primary Curriculum), you will likely just need the safety workshops designed for which ever track pertains to your timber harvesting operation. A logger coming in new to LEAP will need to complete all the curriculum requirements. Whether you are already in LEAP or if you are new to LEAP, everyone will have two years to meet these new requirements.

Along with these changes, LEAP received a grant from the Working Lands Enterprise Board in 2020 to do a comprehensive upgrade of our website and database. This new system will allow you to see your personal status online at any time and you will be able to sign up and pay for workshops via the website. This is going to mean using Smart Phones and computers to register for workshops and access your information. We will expect that there will be a learning curve for some of you, and we will absolutely help everyone get there!

Questions: Contact David Birdsall, [email protected] or Call 802-235-2908

Read More About the New LEAP Requirements Here

Spring 2021 Workshops Are Here!
PLEASE - MASKS ARE REQUIRED AT ALL WORKSHOPS
Managing and Using Forest Ecosystems (8 LEAP credits; 6 SAF CE credits)
This Workshop is mandatory for all LEAP Loggers who are new to LEAP or who have not yet taken this.
May 11, 2021 8:00am to 3:30pm Bethel Town Hall; 318 Main St.; Bethel, VT 05032
May 12, 2021 8:00am to 3:30pm Allard’s Office, 74 Glen Orne Drive, Brattleboro, VT
Cost: $60
Instructors: Dave Wilcox, Watershed Forester, VT FPR
Rick Dyer, VT FPR, Andrea Shortsleeve, Wildlife Biologist, VT F&W
Advanced Logger Safety (8 LEAP credits; CFE credits pending)
This Workshop is mandatory for all LEAP Loggers.
June 14, 2021 8am to 3pm Long View Forest Headquarters, 48 Picz Rd, Westminster VT
June 15, 2021 8am to 3pm Essex Grange, 118 Center Rd, Essex Junction, VT
June 17, 2021 8am to 3pm GMTCC, 433 North Main St. Hardwick,VT
Cost: $60
Instructor: Tim Emperor, Northeast Timber Safety Services
This workshop will focus on responding to serious injuries on forest operations. It will demystify some rescue methods as well as reinforce the “Do’s and Dont’s” to keep loggers healthier and alive longer! This workshop is absolutely applicable to any logger
whether they are Mechanized or Conventional operators. It would also be invaluable to truckers and foresters, who are often the first on the scene of a logging accident. This is also a required course for employees of mechanized logging operations participating in the
Vermont Logger Safety and Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program. This workshop also satisfies LEAP’s First Aid and CPR requirements.
Introduction to Mechanized Logging Safety (8 LEAP credits)
This Workshop is mandatory for all Mechanized LEAP loggers.

June 2, 2021 8:00am to 3:00pm Long View Forest Headquarters, 48 Picz Rd, Westminster VT
June 3, 2021 8:00am to 3:00pm Brian Lafoe, 151 Tarbox Hill Rd, Orleans, VT
Cost: $75
Instructors: Northeast Woodland Training; John Adler, Caleb Currie, David Birdsall
Increase awareness of the many dangers associated with mechanized logging, to improve safety procedures and to change work habits so that safety is a primary concern to the crew. (This class is also required for all LEAP loggers and employees on mechanized logging operations participating in the Vermont Logger Safety and Workers’ Compensation Insurance Program.

Game Of Logging (8 LEAP Credits per Level)

Levels 1 - 4 are mandatory for all Non-Mechanized LEAP loggers. If it’s been over 5 years since taking all four levels then taking a L5 (Refresher) is mandatory. Levels 1&2 are being offered this year. If you would like Levels 3&4 this year as well, let me know.
Level 1
August 12 8:00am to 3:30pm Chester VT, Specific directions to come
August 26 8:00am to 3:30pm West Berlin VT, Specific directions to come
Level 2
August 13 8:00am to 3:30pm Chester VT, Specific directions to come
August 27 8:00am to 3:30pm West Berlin VT, Specific directions to come
Level 5
August 6 8:00am to 3:30pm Chester VT, Specific directions to come
August 20 8:00am to 3:30pm West Berlin VT, Specific directions to come

Cost $100 per day The State of VT is subsidizing the cost of this training through a Grant, normal cost is $150 for LEAP
Instructor: John Adler, Northeast Woodland Training
Click here to see the LEAP 2021 LEAP Workshop Registration Form
Please fill it out completely and return it with a check. Courses may be canceled if enrollment is not sufficient so please register early. See enclosed workshop schedule for details. New Cancellation Policy: You must cancel 48 hours prior to the workshop to receive a refund. PLEASE NO WALK-INS!

Lumber Prices Are Rising, Log Prices Are Not

With lumber prices hitting an all-time high, a number of colleagues have asked me to help them understand what’s going on, and who is benefitting. There has been a lot of good writing about the unique set of circumstances that drove lumber prices up, including work from my friends at Forest2Market, or a recent piece in New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor. What is more interesting is who is receiving a “windfall” from this price surge. From the data I’ve seen, it is sawmills that are benefitting the most, while loggers and landowners see their market largely unchanged.
Read Full Article Here

Regional Forest Economy Market Assessment for April 2021
Read Market Update Here

Vermont Stream Crossing Workshop

Location: Randolph, VT - Vermont Technical College
Field Sites: Randolph, VT
Participants: 40 max. or Covid Limit
Date: 5/20/2021
Time: 7:30am-2pm
Note: Vermont CDC guidelines will be expected to be followed- masks on indoors and six feet of distance outside.
Read Full Agenda Here

The Logger Education to Advance Professionalism (LEAP) Program is a not-for-profit educational organization that strives to remain non-political. LEAP recognizes that the logging profession is an essential link between Vermont woodlands and forest industry. Along with landowners and foresters, loggers are partners in managing our forests for wood, water, wildlife and recreation. Vermont's forests have a legacy of providing these resources and are capable of sustaining these public benefits if properly managed. We see education as offering a positive approach, bringing everyone together to reach this common goal. The LEAP program is an instrument to encourage life-long learning among loggers. We will strive to promote professionalism through education and instill a stewardship ethic among loggers. The outcome of this endeavor, we envision, will be a well managed and productive forest landscape, and a positive public perception of the logging profession.

Source: Logger Education to Advance Professionalism 5.13.2021