Loggers
Loggers cut, skid and haul timber from the forest to the mill. Loggers can also be timber buyers and sawmill owners. They can be self employed, independent loggers or work full time for a timber buyer or a mill.
Logging is the most dangerous job in the entire wood producing process. Cutting and skidding logs out of the woods is very dangerous. Falling trees and branches and rolling logs cause several injuries and even deaths every year.
A good logging crew can make or break a harvest. The use of BMP's is very important to minimize soil erosion and damage to the forest. Some loggers have taken professional training courses in logging and directional felling, which can help minimize damage to residual trees and ensure a healthy future crop.
Safety equipment is a must for today's logger. Hard hats, hearing protection, eye protection, and chainsaw chaps are a few of the must-have safety items. OSHA also requires several safety items on each logging site. These safety items are provided by the loggers, for both themselves and for their employees.
Loggers use chainsaws 
to cut the trees down. There are several techniques used to fell trees. Some
loggers use directional felling, or controlling the direction in which the tree falls.
This technique can be beneficial to the remaining growing stock. However, miracles can not
be worked on every tree. Some trees can not be directionally felled due to lean, heavy
branches, or rot.
Trees are
dragged out of the forest using large, four-wheeled tractors called skidders. These
machines are very powerful and can drag heavy loads. Most skidders have a winch on the
back, which is used to drag logs short distances. The middle of the skidder
articulates to maneuver in the tight spaces of a forest. A roll cage is standard on
skidders to protect the operator during a rollover and from falling debris. Some skidders
have a small blade on the front that can be used to clean and touch up a skid trail.
Logs are dragged to a common area, sorted and stacked according to species and quality.
This area is called a landing or yard. 
Here the logs may be cut into smaller
lengths, loaded onto trucks and hauled them to a sawmill. Yards need to be from 1/2 acre
to several acres in size, depending on the size of the job. Usually yards are fields or
open areas in a forest and have good access to a road.
Next the logs move to the sawmill or veneer mill.