Does the prospect of using a chainsaw make you feel uncomfortable? Here’s your chance to learn a new skill with other women in a supportive and welcoming environment. Otsego Land Trust, a local conservation organization, encourages women from all backgrounds to connect to nature in a new way at Making the Cut – A Chainsaw Workshop for Women.

The free two-day workshop at Hartwick College’s Pine Lake Campus, Oneonta, NY is designed to teach safe handling of the chainsaw, and to boost confidence through practical experience. Led by Arborist Nathan Waterfield, this workshop will help the beginner or novice chainsaw operator gain greater confidence with a common and useful tool. This is an entry-level course focusing on chainsaw operation and no previous experience is necessary.

Chainsaw operation can be safe and enjoyable. Workshop participants will be able to practice chainsaw use in a controlled and supervised small-group environment. This course is designed to provide an experience where all participants have ample opportunity to ask questions and practice chainsaw techniques.

The first day will focus on safety gear, chainsaw parts and functions, chainsaw safety features, basic saw maintenance, and an introduction to proper and safe operation. Hands-on training will focus on practice and application of basic chainsaw operation, safe movement and operation, making straight up and down cuts, limbing, and tension and compression in wood.

The second day of the workshop will provide more practical experience and introduce more advanced techniques. Topics covered on day two will include reactive forces and physics of wood cutting, tree felling, and chain sharpening. The goal of this course is to provide each participant with the means to evaluate practices and equipment for safety.

The workshop will provide all safety gear and equipment; however, participants may choose to bring their own chainsaw or personal protective equipment if they have them. The two-day workshop will be mostly outdoors. Please dress and prepare for the weather with long sleeves, pants, and boots. Lunch will be provided to all participants.

Enrollment in the Otsego Land Trust chainsaw workshop is free to anyone who identifies as a woman, thanks to support from the Community Foundation of South Central New York.

SOLD OUT! To get your name on the waitlist, please email anne@otsegolandtrust.org.

ATTENDEES: Once you are at Pine Lake Campus, please meet at the building marked on the map below (circled in red).