Foresters who work for private industry gain permission to inventory timber from private landowners, assess the value of the timber on each parcel of land, negotiate the purchase of the timber, subcontract to logging firms to cut the timber, aid in road layout, and make sure logging operations conform with landowners' specifications as well as Federal, State, and local environmental regulations. Foresters who work for Federal and State governments manage public parks and forests as well as consult with private landowners to protect private forest lands. They also may maintain camp trails, roads, and campgrounds. Logging is carried out by a variety of workers. Loggers cut down trees with chain saws or other mechanical cutting equipment, trim tree tops and branches, and cut logs into specified lengths.
Loggers also operate heavy machinery to transport logs from cutting to loading sites.
The nature of the work varies by the terrain. In flat terrain, logs are skidded along the ground to loading sites. The difference in the nature of the logging operation means that the occupational mix of the work crews is also different. Over recent years, logging has become more dependent on machinery, but the work is nevertheless highly labor-intensive. Most of the training required for logging is provided on the job.