Lumber Miller
To turn logs into lumber.
By all accounts, logging for wood products in the United States is in
decline as the focus of our national forests changes from providing
wood products to providing recreational opportunities.This change in
focus creates a career opportunity for non-traditional, high tech wood
products from "junk" low grade wood, chips and flakes.
Despite the fact that there have been 150 sawmill closures in
California alone in recent years, the remaining large operations have a
number of career opportunities.Jeff Gletne, forester with Sierra Forest
Products in California, says that many entry level opportunities are
available as a saw mill operator at between $7 and $12 per hour.With
experience and education, a career path can be made up the ladder to
contractor ($30,000), logging supervisor ($35,000), general manager
($35,000) and forester ($35,000).Saw mill owner opportunities are
limited because of the intense requirement for capital investment.
Loggers and millers embrace this industry as a way of life because the
work is done in the forests and requires extended periods of time away
from home.Turnover is high, but some, swear by it."I was a pre-med
major then got a degree in forestry.I just couldn't see myself cooped
up for too long and that's how I ended up in logging" says Gletne.
Jonathan Wagy owns the last full time saw mill in Tulare county in
California.He is a true renaissance man who has found himself a niche
by cutting special sizes.He's a good saw miller by his own account and
can cut a log efficiently with minimal waste, a feat which demands a
great deal of creativity.Wagy purchases logs from independent loggers
and converts them to corral lumber, fence posts, rough side barn
siding, wood for log cabins and custom furniture manufacturing.He can
match wood and sizes needed for old home restoration.He carries no
inventory - everything is custom sawed."There's never a dull day" says
Wagy. "I am constantly challenged."
Logging is a very specialized field for which education and training
are limited.Oregon State University continues to offer a degree in
logging.Work is hard and very physical.It is all outside, although some
areas of the mill are sheltered.It is highly intense and not without
danger.
The best way to start, according to Wagy, is with an employer, and work
your way up the company ladder.Education and skills include knowing how
to communicate effectively and correctly, knowing how to get get along
with people, having business knowledge and accounting skills, and
having the technical knowledge it takes for production of lumber and
maintenance of equipment.
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