Forest Management Educational Workshop Starts Saturday

The City is sponsoring two workshops on forest management safety, for city residents.  Each will
take place at Wilcox Preserve.

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Event 1:  Chain Saw Safety and Operation

• When:  Saturday, July 11, 2015, 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
• Where: Wilcox Preserve off Footit Drive in Middletown
• Instructors: Tom Worthley, Associate Extension Professor, University of Connecticut and UConn Extension Forestry Staff

Whether you find yourself needing to use a chain saw for property cleanup, making firewood, maintaining trails or woodland management, this workshop will be of interest. Homeowners and property managers, folks who find they need to use a saw occasionally at work or those who regularly cut wood for their own use need to be familiar with the basics of personal safety, and safe and efficient operation of the saw itself, and how to know that their saw is in good working condition.

During the course of this workshop we will cover the following topics:

• Personal protective equipment
• Saw safety check
• Reactive forces while operating a chain saw
• Parts of the tooth and sharpening techniques
• Basic maintenance tasks
• Work planning and hazard assessment
• Tree felling and bucking demonstration

The rain date for this event will be Sunday, July 12 from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm

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Event 2:  Wood Product and Value Recovery Using a Portable Band Saw Mill

• When:  Saturday, July 18, 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
• Where: Wilcox Preserve off Footit Drive in Middletown
• Instructors: Tom Worthley, Associate Extension Professor, University of Connecticut and UConn Extension Forestry Staff

Have you ever wondered about how logs are made into lumber? Have you ever wondered whether useful lumber can be manufactured from local trees? During this workshop you will be able to see a small portable band saw mill in operation, processing small logs (from trees harvested during the previous week’s workshop) into useful products for local use. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about:

• Essential tools and equipment
• Safe handling of logs
• Log scaling and grading
• Sawing techniques for volume recovery and grade recovery
• Lumber handling and storage
• Custom sawing and specialty products

The rain date for this event will be Sunday, July 19 from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Wear sturdy shoes and bring drinking water. Hearing and head protection are not required, but bring them if you have them. If there is heavy rain, lightning or high winds, the workshops will be re-scheduled to the rain dates as posted.  Spaces are limited for each event so please RSVP to Michelle Ford at michelle.ford@middletownct.gov or by phone at 860-638-4837 to ensure availability.