CCE-Chautauqua is hosting Game of Logging chainsaw safety training and certification at locations throughout the county.

Under an overcast sky just outside of The Heron Farm & Event Center farmstand, the first cohort of participants in this year’s Chautauqua County Game of Logging (GOL) chainsaw safety courses gathered to meet one another and hear the plan for the day.

Leading the training was Bill Lindloff, an experienced logger from Endicott, N.Y., who learned the course from its founder in 1994 and now travels throughout the northeast teaching full-time.

When Emily Reynolds, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Chautauqua County executive director, saw an opportunity last year, she scheduled Lindloff for several days of Level 1 and Level 2 Game of Logging classes to be hosted at various locations around the county. As an equine trail rider, Reynolds knows Chautauqua County Greenway trail users often encounter downed trees or limbs blocking the way, and with more than 600 miles of navigable public trails, it’s too much for county employees to keep up with on their own. In the state of New York, for a volunteer to use a motorized saw for trail maintenance in any state forest or state park, the volunteer must complete the Game of Logging Chainsaw Safety Level 1 Certification Course, and then complete an annual bloodborne pathogens training and bi-annually maintain CPR/First Aid certification. Additionally, when operating equipment for trail maintenance, two fully certified volunteers must be in attendance.

Together with the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, the Friends of the Chautauqua County Greenways, and several local trail enthusiast groups, CCE-Chautauqua is hosting the Game of Logging courses this year to build the infrastructure of volunteer support for the county trail system. A recently awarded community grant from the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation will allow Chautauqua County residents who volunteer to maintain public trails with a trail user group eligible for a scholarship to cover the one-day course fee. So far, attendees for this year’s classes include members of the Western NY Mountain Bike Association (WNYMBA), Little Valley Riders Club and Chautauqua Rails to Trails.

Other chainsaw users, including municipality staff and woodland owners, are also encouraged to attend. The course fee is $150, which includes a full day of demonstration, training, and personal coaching as each participant gets to put their new knowledge to work in the woods. Every participant is required to bring their own personal protective equipment, including a hard hat, ear and eye protection, and chainsaw chaps. At the end of the day, participants go home with an official certificate of completion.

Courses will be held in August. For more information about what is covered and to register online, visit chautauqua.cce.cornell.edu/events or call the Cornell Cooperative Extension Chautauqua office at 716-664-9502.